The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) will put forward a candidate in the riding of Marie-Victorin, left vacant by the newly elected mayor of Longueuil.
Premier François Legault, who made the announcement this morning upon arrival at his party’s general meeting in Trois-Rivières, Que., says he’d given Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon a week to state his intentions but contends his rival is twiddling his thumbs.
Legault says he might have respected the tradition that allows a new party leader to run uncontested in a given riding — if Plamondon had stepped forward.
The PQ leader, who took the helm in October 2020, does not hold a seat in the National Assembly.
It currently falls to the party’s parliamentary leader, Joel Arseneau, to hold Legault to account during question period.
Legault says the fact that Québec solidaire opted to run a candidate in Marie-Victorin also played into his decision to do the same.
The Liberals have said they planned to hold off on presenting a nominee if the other parties agreed to follow suit.
“We have decided that we will present a candidate — probably a candidate — in Marie-Victorin,” Legault said Saturday.
He said the byelection in that riding will be held after Christmas, adding that he does not want to “impose on the people of Longueuil a third election in three months” following the federal and municipal campaigns.
The seat in Marie-Victorin became vacant last week after Catherine Fournier was elected mayor of Longueuil.