Derraji to run for Liberals in Nelligan to replace Coiteux
QUEBEC The Liberals have come up with a big-name candidate to run in the party stronghold riding of Nelligan.
Sources said Tuesday that businessman Monsef Derraji will run for the party in the Oct. 1 provincial election, campaigning for which will kick off Aug. 23.
The formal announcement will be made at a later date. Should he win, which is most likely, he will replace cabinet minister Martin Coiteux who has chosen not to seek re-election along with many other Liberals.
Born in Morocco, Derraji is currently the president and director general of the Regroupement des jeunes chambres de commerce du Québec. He has held the position since 2005.
Prior to that, he worked for 14 years in the pharmaceutical industry. In 2009, he co-founded the Congrès Maghrébin au Québec and is a prominent member of the community. He holds a master’s in science from Université Cadi Ayyad in Marrakesh and an MBA in pharmaceutical management from Université Laval.
Derraji lives in Dollard-desOrmeaux. As for political experience, he served for a time as president of the old Vision Montreal party. He will be stepping into big shoes. Coiteux, the minister of public security and municipal affairs, announced in April he would not seek re-election after a single term in office. In 2014, he won Nelligan, on Montreal’s West Island, with 80 per cent of the vote.
The decision puts an end to the mystery of who the Liberals would run in Nelligan, but other pieces of the Montreal puzzle remain.
Three safe Liberal seats are still up for grabs. They include Jacques-Cartier, which is being vacated by minister Geoffrey Kelley, and the riding of Westmount—St-Louis, which was held by Jacques Chagnon who is not running again.
The third is Bourassa- Sauvé, the riding held by Rita de Santis, who decided not to seek re-election.
In the case of Jacques-Cartier, one candidate is known to be interested: Greg Kelley, who is Geoff Kelley’s son. The party has not made a final decision, but Greg Kelley is considered the favourite of the riding association.
In Westmount—St-Louis, the local riding association is pushing for an anglophone candidate to be designated. The current front-runner for the seat is Elizabeth Gomery, daughter of retired judge John Gomery. The Liberals have yet to make a final decision.
Meanwhile, another former municipal politician, Manon Gauthier, who was councillor in former mayor Denis Coderre’s administration, has announced plans to run provincially.
The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) announced Tuesday that Gauthier will be their candidate in the riding of Maurice-Richard formerly known as Crémazie.
In 2017, the Couillard government announced plans to name Gauthier president of the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, but the nomination was cancelled when it was revealed Gauthier had been arrested for impaired driving.
The nomination was cancelled by Marie Montpetit, who is the minister of culture and communications.
Although Gauthier was convicted, she successfully pleaded that the incident was due to medication she was taking, not alcohol. Gauthier presented all the facts up front to the CAQ leadership which decided the incident was not serious enough to prevent her from running.
Ironically, Maurice-Richard is currently held by Montpetit.