Quebec Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade resigns month after election

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    "Having in mind the interest of Quebec, and the good of the party, I have informed the party president of my resignation as the leader of the Quebec Liberal Party," said Dominique Anglade at a news conference in Montreal. Pamela Pagano reports.

    Dominique Anglade is resigning as leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, five weeks after the Liberals suffered a crushing defeat in the provincial election.

    Anglade told reporters in Montreal she will also step down as member for the Montreal riding of St-Henri-Ste-Anne, effective Dec. 1, opening the door to a byelection that will be hotly contested by the left-wing Quebec solidaire.

    She said the Liberals faced a reality check in the last provincial campaign and she was personally disappointed with the results. Adding the party needs to renew itself and the way it does politics, therefore it is in the best interests of the party that she resign from her position as leader of the party and MNA.

    “Having in mind the interest of Quebec and the good of the party, I am announcing that I will also step down as the MNA for the Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne riding,” she said.

    Her leadership had been under pressure since the party elected just 21 members in the Oct. 3 election – down from 31 in the 2018 vote.

    “I think it was inevitable. I think the writing was on the wall on election night. I think there was a clear message being sent to the Liberal Party by voters that the message isn’t resonating. The message that the Liberals were trying to convey never really made it to voters ears,” said political analyst Karim Boulos.


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    The party maintained official Opposition status but saw its share of the popular vote drop to less than 15 per cent, receiving fewer votes than Quebec solidaire and the Parti Quebecois. In recent weeks, current and past members of the party had come out – some anonymously – to question her authority and say she no longer had the confidence of members.

    Speaking to the internal conflict in the party, Anglade said Monday that the issues facing Quebecers – regarding demographics, culture, the economy and the environment – “are too important for the official Opposition to be torn up.”

    “The Liberal party has to renew its political offer but also it’s way of doing politics, and we don’t have the luxury of being undermined by internal intrigues.”

    The tension within the party erupted shortly after the election, when Anglade ejected Marie-Claude Nichols from caucus after a disagreement over shadow cabinet roles. Anglade reversed position, but Nichols refused to return and said the Liberal leader was unable to to properly lead the party.

    “There was trouble that needed to be addressed. And the first few days out of the gate after being named the official opposition, Dominique Anglade had a few missteps, not the least of which was Marie-Claude Nichols being ousted for not being a good soldier,” said Boulos.

    Anglade, 48, was acclaimed leader of the Liberals in 2020 after her only opponent – Alexandre Cusson – withdrew before the vote.

    She was elected in the riding of St-Henri-Ste-Anne in November 2015 and served as economy minister in the cabinet of Philippe Couillard. She was re-elected in 2018 and 2022. Before joining the Liberals, Anglade was briefly president of the Coalition Avenir Quebec, the party of Premier Francois Legault.

    “I think that this is more indicative of the situation that Anglade was thrust in being acclaimed to a leadership position has. It’s okay. Sure, it’s easy that there’s an advantage of being acclaimed as leader, but nobody got to really have the debate about the ideas to find out what each of the potential candidates would bring to a leadership of the Liberal Party. So questions are being asked what does the Liberal Party stand for?” asked Boulos.

    Anglade is married with three children and is the daughter of Haitian immigrants.

    She gave her thanks to everyone who supported her in the campaign, including her family.

    “For me being a Liberal means believing in a society that respects the rights and freedoms of everyone,” she said.

    Anglade plans on serving Quebec in new ways.

    “I think Dominique Anglade did what what a strong leader does, you know, recognizes the writing on the wall and steps aside and makes room for the party to rebuild. And it’s really going to be a rebuild. They’re picking up a party with a recognizable name. Whoever the next leader is going to be is literally starting from scratch. This is not all, by the way. We’re just going to pick up the ball and run with it. It’s going to be door to door. It’s going to be grassroots movements. It’s going to be every region of the province going out and listening to what voters want,” added Boulos.

    – With files from The Canadian Press

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