Although many say their chances of winning the yet to be announced Terrebonne byelection is very slim, the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) has already chosen its candidate – Virginie Bouchard, president of the Lanaudière Regional Council for the party.
The 27-year-old has already made two unsuccessful attempts to get elected for the PLQ in the past.
In 2018, she ran against François Legault in L’Assomption and in 2022, she tried her luck in Repentigny.
The Terrebonne riding has been vacant since the departure of super-minister Pierre Fitzgibbon two weeks ago.
Between 1976 and 2018, Terrebonne was always a PQ riding, except for a brief interlude from 2007 to 2008, when the riding was represented by Mario Dumont’s Action démocratique du Québec.
In 2018, CAQ MNA Pierre Fitzgibbon won the riding against PQ member Mathieu Traversy. He was re-elected in 2022. In the last election, the Liberal candidate in Terrebonne, Lindsay Jean, finished fourth with 10 per cent of the vote.
Internally, the PLQ say they are realistic about the party’s chances of winning this riding, but they want to run a serious campaign.
The official announcement of Bouchard’s candidacy will be made on Sunday and will be followed by a campaign rally.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews