Quebec Liberal Leadership Race

[Benjamin Frank]

Liberal M.P Joel Lightbound has confirmed rumors that he's interested.

If he had “enough good ideas to defend,” Joël Lightbound would run for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ).

“If I had to propose a platform for the PLQ, it would be a mix between the Conservative Party of Quebec and Quebec solidaire, indicated Joël Lightbound. That is to say, a lot of audacity, but little dogmatism."

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2023/02/04/joel-lightbound-songe-a-la-chefferie-du-plq
Translated from French.

[Estrella]

If I had to propose a platform for the PLQ, it would be a mix between the Conservative Party of Quebec and Quebec solidaire, indicated Joël Lightbound.

"A mix between Bernie and Trump" or "a mix between Le Pen and Mélenchon" is one hell of an idea. Especially when the sort of thing you'd expect from a turbo-populist demagogue or a Strasserite is used to promote bland liberal centrism.

(I for one approve of this strategy, mostly because I'm imagining the impossible but hilarious scenario of PLQ becoming a party that can't win anywhere except Le Plateau and Beauce.)

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

Joel Lightbound isn't running.
https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/mp-joel-lightbound-won-t-run-for-quebec-liberal-party-leadership-1.6803794

Since this article apparently Charles Milliard has also said he won't run, and I don't know where the speculation here about Francois Phillippe Champaigne comes from.

It appears it will be a two person race between former Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre and freshman MNA Frédéric Beauchemin. However, the vote is still a year away.

Early polls, such as they are, have Coderre with a wide lead. I'd assume most of that is name recognition.

[Tintrlvr]

Coderre is kind of a dinosaur, isn't he? He's not that old, but it feels like he's been around forever (to mixed reviews), which doesn't feel like the kind of energy the PLQ needs.

[Hatman 🍁]

Coderre leading the PLQ will at least keep him out of municipal politics

[warandwar]

PLQ won't win the next election so may as well get the mobbed up guy to run the machinery and bide their time.

[Poirot]

A poll in February gave PLQ under a hypothetical Coderre leadership 21% of vote share, a bump of 6% for the party in that month's voting intentions.

It seems like a lot in the party (MNA and party officials) don't want him. I guess he is a bit of an outsider. He bought a membership this year; he had not been a member since 2010. Maybe they don't like his style and doesn't represent the future.

I don't know how the pary's recruitment efforts to find candidates will end. If there will be one candidate to face Coderre or more than one. Coderre will make a final decision in about two months.

In the last week I've read a couple of columnist say good things of Karl Blackburn. I don't know if they have been told he will announce when the race starts someday.

Mulcair makes him his dream candidate.

To me, the best hope is Karl Blackburn, president and CEO of the Conseil du patronat du Québec, the most important employers’ group in the province. Blackburn is a party stalwart. I’ve known him for decades and he’s truly one of the best people that I’ve known in politics.

(...)
 
Blackburn has been elected as an MNA and been both chief organizer and general manager of the Quebec Liberals. He has skills other aspiring leaders could only dream of.