Frédéric Beauchemin will be in the race for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party

Photo: Justin Tang The Canadian Press Frédéric Beauchemin will become the fourth candidate in the race for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party.

Thomas Laberge – The Canadian Press in Quebec City

Published and updated on September 11

• Quebec City

After several months of reflection, Liberal MP Frédéric Beauchemin will enter the race for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party on Friday. He will make the announcement in Trois-Rivières.

The information, first reported by Radio-Canada, was confirmed by The Canadian Press.

Mr. Beauchemin managed to obtain the support of one of his caucus colleagues, Chomedey MP Sona Lakhoyan Olivier. The Marguerite-Bourgeoys MP has already received the support of former Quebec Finance Minister Carlos Leitão.

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Frédéric Beauchemin wants to position himself as the candidate for budgetary rigour and better management of public finances. The leadership will, however, be a challenge for him, who is not very well known to the general public.

Last October, the MP was the target of complaints of psychological harassment filed by the then president of the youth wing, Élyse Moisan. He had been excluded from the Liberal caucus. Frédéric Beauchemin was finally reinstated in December after the complaints were withdrawn following a mediation process.

The former executive and head of capital markets at Scotiabank will therefore become the fourth candidate to succeed Dominique Anglade. The other aspiring leaders are the former CEO of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, Charles Milliard, the former mayor of Montreal, Denis Coderre, and tax lawyer Marc Bélanger.

Federal Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez is still thinking. The Canadian Press reported last month that Rodriguez was working behind the scenes with close associates to get into the race.

The next Liberal leader already faces many challenges: the polls aren’t moving in their favour, their support among francophones is sluggish, young people have deserted the party and he needs to win back the regions of Quebec.

The race officially begins in January 2025. The new Liberal leader will be chosen in the summer of that year.