Canadian Party of Quebec announces its candidate for Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne byelection

With less than a month before voters go to the polls March 13, the Canadian Party of Quebec (CaPQ) has announced Ian Denman as their candidate for the Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne riding in the coming byelection.

Denman is a bilingual engineer who has worked over a decade at Hydro-Québec.

“We have an exceptional candidate for this byelection,” said CaPQ Leader Colin Standish while introducing Denman during a press conference Thursday morning.

Denman said the CaPQ is the only party dedicated to fighting Bills 96, 21 and 40 in the National Assembly.

“Bill 96 is particularly important because it forces even private sector professionals to provide services in French only and language restrictions for immigrants means that we cannot hire competent professionals to provide services in health care unless they are fluent in French,” Denman said.

Candidates in the running

Premier François Legault called a byelection in the Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne riding, in the Sud-Ouest borough, when the seat was left empty when former Liberal leader Dominique Anglade stepped down last December – announcing her resignation as both party leader and MNA for the riding.

The Liberals announced Christopher Baenninger as their new candidate for the riding. He was defeated by Québec solidaire (QS) co-spokesperson Manon Massé in the riding of Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques in the last election.

The Liberal party of Quebec announces Christopher Baenninger as their new candidate for the Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne riding on Feb. 6, 2023. (Photo Credit: Pamela Pagano/CityNews)

“There’s a lot of work to do and I’m looking forward to go door-to-door to meet the community in person,” said Baenninger at a press conference earlier this month while introduced by his party. “One by one, and listening to their challenges and levelling with them.”

QS will be running the same candidate as before: immigration lawyer Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, who cites the housing crisis and the environmental crisis as top priorities.

Cliche-Rivard came in second place to Anglade in the last provincial election, receiving 28 per cent of the votes. Anglade won with 36 per cent support.

Cliche-Rivard currently considered the frontrunner since he has been on the ground since the campaign and has been very present in the riding.

C'est fait! Je suis officiellement candidat ???? #polqc pic.twitter.com/3NoERkbLeS

— Guillaume Cliche-Rivard (@GClicheRivard) February 11, 2023

A lot riding for Liberals, QS

“It’s critical for Québec solidaire, would they obtain official party status, which is a big deal, increased funding, increased access, more questions in the National Assembly,” said political analyst Karim Boulos to CityNews recently. “It would be a very positive step for Québec solidaire. So they’re going to put everything they have in it.”

The Coalition Avenir Québec will be running Victor Pelletier. The 21-year-old was elected as the party’s youth wing president last year.

The first election posters for the byelection in the Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne riding went up on Feb. 7. (Photo Credit: Martin Daigle/CityNews)

Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon for his part introduced Andréanne Fiola as candidate for the Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne riding last Friday.

The 23-year-old holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the Université de Sherbrooke and two certificates specializing in environmental issues. Fiola says she wants to raise awareness around environmental issues in Quebec.

Andréanne Fiola, Parti Québécois candidate in Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne byelection, with PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, Feb. 10, 2023. (CREDIT: Parti Québécois/provided)

The Conservative Party of Quebec announced Lucien Koty as their candidate. Originally from Dasso in Benin, Koty moved to Montreal 30 years ago and holds a Bachelor’s degree in science and technology from the University of Benin and a Master’s degree in operations research from Montreal’s École Polytechnique.

However, Radio-Canada recently reported that Koty has also made controversial comments on Twitter about COVID-19 and the environment. His account was closed shortly after the announcement of his candidacy last Sunday.

Lucien Koty (left) and party leader Eric Duhaime in this screen capture from the Quebec Conservative Party press conference on Feb. 12, 2023. (Credit: Twitter/Eric Duhaime)