« Do not underestimate the liberals », says Dominique Anglade

Questioned from all sides about her difficult campaign and her future as leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, Dominique Anglade said she was “very confident for Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne”. She always claims to aim for the seat of Prime Minister.

Ms. Anglade made this statement on the sidelines of a press briefing in Verdun where she represented her main promises for seniors.

Various indicators, including the poll aggregator Qc125.com, indicate that the leader of the official opposition is in a difficult three-way battle in her own riding of Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne. Indeed, although she is in a long-standing Liberal stronghold, Ms. Anglade is currently left behind in the voting projections. According to the Qc125.com site, it is found at 27%, just behind the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) and Québec solidaire (QS). These two parties are neck and neck, with 29%.

Ditto in Verdun, a liberal castle represented by Isabelle Melançon, where QS (30%) and the CAQ (29%) are given winners.

Dominique Anglade’s presence in Verdun was no coincidence. It was a way of supporting its candidate Isabelle Melançon, who has seen her support dwindle in recent weeks. The former borough councilor of Projet Montréal, Véronique Tremblay, will carry the CAQ banner there. It could thus put an end to the liberal reign which has lasted since 1966 in Verdun.

The CAQ puts a lot of effort into these ridings. The outgoing Prime Minister, François Legault, was also in Verdun a few hours before his meeting with Mayor Valérie Plante. “It makes no sense that the Liberal Party is in this state. […] Whether [Dominique Anglade] loses this constituency, it will be a disaster for the party”, analysis with Subway political scientist André Lamoureux.

Despite the polls, the Liberal leader does not budge. The same morning, on 98.5 FM, the host Paul Arcand had stung her by declaring that a Liberal leader « who loses, it does not stay long ».

« When I replied ‘it’s not my intention’ [à M.Arcand], is that it is not my intention to lose anything. My intention is to do this campaign to replace François Legault. That’s my intention. »

My intention is to stay in office and be Premier of Quebec

Dominique Anglade, Leader of the Quebec Liberal Party

In Montreal, however, the political formation faces the appetite of the CAQ, which wishes to delight several of its strongholds. In addition to Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne and Verdun, the ridings of Maurice-Richard, Marquette and Anjou-Louis-Riel could pass into the hands of the outgoing majority party.

“Watch me go”, launched the leader of the PLQ

At the head of the PLQ since 2020, the Leader of the Opposition has recently faced many challenges. Very recently, she had to assume a $12 billion error in the financial framework of her political party. An error still not corrected on the website of the PLQ. Asked about it, she indicated that she should finally be removed today.

However, this is not the only difficulty that has undermined the Liberal Party since the beginning of the campaign. The Liberal candidate in Joliette, Malek Arab, became the third to withdraw on Saturday.

In Verdun, Dominique Anglade remained firm: « Do not underestimate the Liberals, » she hammered. This weekend, she let go « Watch me go, watch me go in the countryside ». A nod to the “Just watch me” pronounced by Pierre Elliott Trudeau during the October 1970 Crisis, she confirmed on Monday.

The pots of the party, like those from the austerity years of Philippe Couillard, also stick to the PLQ. Today, Ms. Anglade tries to make them forget by positioning herself more to the left. “We are not here to redo the past, but to build the future,” she underlined, recalling her desire to make massive investments.