Photo: Jacques Boissinot Archives The Canadian Press In the 2022 Quebec elections, former PCQ candidate Marie-Josée Hélie (center left) collected 8.7% of the votes in the riding of Taschereau, which instead elected a Quebec solidaire MP.
Isabelle Porter in Quebec
Posted at 4:39 p.m. Updated at 6:27 p.m.
- Quebec
The candidate of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) in Taschereau in 2022, Marie-Josée Hélie, will be a candidate for the nomination of the Conservative Party of Canada in Montmorency–Charlevoix–Haute-Côte-Nord. An approach strongly encouraged by the leader of the PCQ, Éric Duhaime.
The information was confirmed by the PCQ on Tuesday. The defeated PCQ candidates of 2022 were “strongly encouraged” to join the PCC so “that they can gain experience,” indicated party spokesperson Cédric Lapointe.
Marie-Josée Hélie had collected 8.7% of the votes in the elections in the Taschereau riding, which had instead elected a Québec solidaire MP.
Since then, she has remained very active in the party, where she has played the role of environmental spokesperson. According to one of her posts on the X platform dated May 28, she has already started “campaigning.”
The riding she is aiming for, Montmorency–Charlevoix–Haute-Côte-Nord, is currently represented by a Bloc Québécois member, Caroline Desbiens.
A former member of the PCQ executive is also running
Another well-known PCQ figure, Mark Buzan, has also announced his intention to become a candidate for the party led by Pierre Poilievre, this time in Pontiac–Kitigan Zibi, in Outaouais.
During the PCQ congress last fall, he failed to be elected president of the party, the members having preferred a notorious criticism of leader Éric Duhaime, Chantal Dauphinais.
To promote his candidacy, Mr. Buzan highlighted his contacts with the PCC organization. He was previously vice-president of the party's executive.
The federal riding of Pontiac–Kitigan Zibi has been represented since the last elections by the Liberal Sophie Chatel.