Denis Coderre calls on Liberals to vote for Quebec Conservative leader in byelection

A dramatic turn of events in Arthabaska: Denis Coderre endorsed Éric Duhaime and is calling on Liberals and federalists in the riding to vote for the Conservative leader.

“A party leader, whoever they are — if it had been anyone else, I would have done the same damned thing — has the right to sit in the National Assembly,” thundered the former mayor of Montreal on Thursday during a press briefing in Victoriaville alongside Duhaime.

According to Coderre, the Conservative leader’s ideas must be heard within the National Assembly.

“The interests of Quebecers include the abolition of the carbon tax, and the only one who has been clear, transparent, and transparent is Éric Duhaime,” he stated.

The former federal minister therefore asked the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) not to run a candidate in the Arthabaska byelection to facilitate Duhaime’s election, but also to “save money.”

“The PLQ won’t get 10 per cent if it runs someone,” Coderre maintained.

Sitting beside him, the Conservative leader was delighted with this endorsement, describing Coderre as a politician who defends democracy above all else.

“It sends the message that people of all stripes, regardless of your constitutional position, regardless of your position on the left-right axis, are welcome in the Conservative Party of Quebec. I want to bring the people of Arthabaska together,” Duhaime said.

After the press conference, the two men went to shake hands at a seniors’ residence not far from the Conservative campaign headquarters.

Tax problems

Until recently, Coderre wanted to run for the leadership of the PLQ. However, his troubles with the tax authorities led the Liberals to reject his candidacy in February. At the time, the prime minister said he was “disgusted” by the party’s decision.

On Thursday, the former mayor of Montreal assured that his support for the Conservatives was not motivated by a desire for revenge against the Liberals.

Coderre’s problems with the tax authorities have not yet been resolved. “La Presse” revealed in recent days that this time he had unpaid taxes at the provincial and federal levels.

In October 2024, the former mayor had nevertheless stated that his situation would be regularized in January. During the press briefing in Victoriaville, he reiterated that “all funds are secure.”

“The rest is more like smearing, harassment, and intimidation,” he said.

Could he run with the Conservatives in 2026? “I’ll settle my affairs first,” he simply replied.

Despite everything, the former federal minister insists he still has his PLQ membership card.

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Asked if it was important to pay one’s taxes, Duhaime avoided a direct answer, saying that “unfortunately” in politics, people were reverting to old stories.

“Today, the news is that we have someone here to say that democracy has its rights in Quebec,” he added.

Coderre was mayor of Montreal from 2013 to 2017. Before that, he was a federal Liberal MP from 1997 to 2013 in the Montreal riding of Bourassa.

Three-way race

According to the polling aggregator Qc125, the byelection in Arthabaska will be a three-way race between the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ), the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), and the Parti Québécois (PQ).

Former Radio-Canada journalist Alex Boissonneault is representing the PQ. It’s been over 25 years since Arthabaska voters sent a Parti Québécois member to the National Assembly.

Québec solidaire is counting on Pascale Fortin for the byelection.

For now, the CAQ and the Liberals have not named their candidate.

Arthabaska has belonged to the CAQ since 2012. In the 2022 provincial election, Conservative candidate Tarek Henoud finished second with 25 per cent of the vote.

The government has until September to call the byelection.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews