Fourth PQ MNA throws in towel
‘I am leaving a riding that’s in good health,’ says Cousineau of Bertrand
A fourth Parti Québécois MNA has decided to not run in the October general election.
Claude Cousineau, the MNA for the Laurentian riding of Bertrand, confirmed Friday he will retire from politics at the end of his mandate.
An emotional Cousineau made the announcement at a news conference where he was flanked by PQ leader Jean-François Lisée.
He said he will soon turn 68 and wants to spend more time with his family. The idea of another four years driving back and forth to Quebec City also is more daunting than it was in the past.
“I am leaving a riding that’s in good health,” Cousineau said, adding he’s proud of his record.
Cousineau’s departure, however, sparked fresh speculation of an eventual return of former leader Pierre Karl Péladeau, who just happens to own a cottage in the riding Cousineau is leaving.
When he was an MNA, Péladeau represented the nearby riding of Saint-Jérôme. In an interview with Radio-Canada this week, Péladeau left the door wide open to a possible comeback. He has not clarified his remarks since.
Cousineau’s name gets added to the list of the three PQ MNAs who announced last week they will not run again. They are Nicole Léger in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Alexandre Cloutier in Lac-Saint-Jean and Agnès Maltais in the Quebec City riding of Taschereau.
Another MNA, party dean François Gendron, who represents the riding of Abitibi- Ouest, is expected to make a similar announcement soon. On Wednesday he told reporters at the PQ caucus his reflection period is nearly over. He has held the riding since 1976. First elected in 1998, Cousineau, a teacher, won four elections in a row in a riding considered relatively safe for the PQ.
Except the rising Coalition Avenir Québec has targeted the riding, holding its party caucus meeting this week in a city in the riding, Ste-Adèle. CAQ leader François Legault has said he wants to win all the Laurentian ridings in 2018.
Meanwhile, despite the PQ’s low standing in the polls, other candidates are coming forward to run.
Maxime Laporte, president of the Société Saint-Jean Baptiste (SSJB), has announced plans to seek the PQ nomination in Pointe-aux-Trembles. On Friday, he received an endorsement from former PQ leader Bernard Landry. Laporte also has the support of former Bloc Québécois leader Mario Beaulieu.
The nomination for the riding could turn into a heated affair. Former Option nationale leader Jean-Martin Aussant is also said to be interested in the riding, which is considered a safe bet for a PQ candidate.
And Radio-Canada reported Friday that Evelyne Abitbol, who currently acts as Lisée’s adviser on issues of diversity, is mulling a run for the nomination in the riding of Mercier.