PLQ campaign launch: Liberals drops another candidate, wants more studies on 3rd link project
Posted August 27, 2026 9:49 am.
Last Updated August 27, 2026 10:52 am.
Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) Leader Charles Milliard was forced to withdraw another of his candidates on the first day of the election campaign, Thursday. Étienne Pineau Saindon, who was running for office in Rimouski, will no longer be a Liberal candidate due to “allegations of a personal nature” that the leader considers “serious.”
“I was made aware of troubling information regarding one of our candidates in the Rimouski riding. So late last night, I made the decision to withdraw the candidate,” the Liberal leader explained during a press briefing in Quebec City.
Milliard did not provide further details on the matter. Behind the scenes, sources indicate that the candidate allegedly engaged in “unacceptable behavior.”
A few months ago, the PLQ also removed its candidate in the Côte-du-Sud riding, Laurier Michaud, due to “serious allegations.”
The party also ousted Michel Savard, who was running for office in Gouin. Savard was caught up in controversy over comments he made on social media. In particular, he had written that “the PQ is a far-right aberration under the PSPP” and that the PQ leader was a “hateful and megalomaniacal person.”
Several Liberal candidates have also decided to withdraw their candidacies on their own initiative. When asked about the matter, Milliard stated that “it’s difficult to be in politics in 2026.”
Further studies on 3rd link project
Although Milliard decided to kick off his election campaign in the Capitale-Nationale on Thursday, the proposed third highway link does not appear to be a priority for the Liberals.
If it forms the government, the PLQ will carry out “priority projects” to improve traffic flow in the Capitale-Nationale region, which does not include the third link between Québec City and Lévis.
The party states that it wishes to “continue studies on the third link to eventually close the traffic loop once the priority projects are completed.”
Among its priorities, the PLQ is focusing on the Laurentian Expressway, which it aims to transform into an urban boulevard between Soumande Street and de la Croix-Rouge Street.
It also says it wants to complete work at the bridgeheads to “reduce the bottleneck effect” in the area.
On the public transit front, the PLQ states its intention to work with Alto to ensure that the high-speed rail project “integrates seamlessly with the road network and the public transit system.”
After his stop in Quebec City, the Liberal leader will then head to the Mauricie region. He will enjoy some ice cream and meet with residents.
In the evening, the Liberals will hold a rally in Sherbrooke to mark the start of their campaign.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
