Ciccone’s debut overshadowed by Ouimet’s ouster
Couillard peppered with questions about 24-year Marquette MNA
The event was supposed to have been all about the Quebec Liberal Party ’s new candidate for the Marquette riding.
However, the phalanx of reporters attending the press conference outside the Musée de Lachine Thursday briskly shifted focus from Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard’s introduction of candidate Enrico Ciccone to the way the premier had handled the ouster of 24-year Marquette MNA François Ouimet.
Responding to reporters’ questions, Couillard said that Ouimet had been the candidate up until very recently, but that being a leader meant making difficult decisions and that it was time for renewal within the party. The premier spoke of Ouimet’s accomplishments, which included pushing to save the floundering Lachine Hospital, but said “it is time for new faces.”
The premier was also grilled about reports early Thursday that the Marquette riding executive would resign en masse to protest his treatment of Ouimet.
“It’s painful for me, too,” Couillard said of the way the nomination was handled. “I understand that (the executive committee) is upset. But it is time to open the door to a new future.”
As Ciccone and members of his family looked on, Couillard was asked why people should trust the premier anymore. During a press conference the day before, an emotional Ouimet said that Couillard had broken his word, having assured Ouimet that the nomination was his.
Couillard shot back that he was a man of his word, but that “a leader has the right to choose candidates. It’s 2018 and politics are fast. People want to see new faces.”
Ciccone, 48, is a former NHL enforcer and radio commentator with no political experience.
He told the gathering that he is aware that he is a rookie in the political arena and had “big shoes to fill.” He would not directly address the way the nomination had been handled, but said he had played for seven teams in the NHL, which translated into him being told seven times that his stay was over.
“I am used to adversity. I’ve never been handed anything,” Ciccone said. “I am never satisfied. I always try to do better.”
Ciccone said the riding association’s morning announcement showed him they were loyal.
“I didn’t take it personally,” he said. “I would have reacted the same way. It is my job to work hard to earn people’s loyalty.”
Following the press conference, Ciccone told a reporter that he was only informed about the nomination on Tuesday at 3 p.m. On Wednesday, he visited both Lachine and Dorval to talk to residents about their concerns.
“I want to make people’s lives better,” he said.
Ciccone spent time in the West Island as a youngster and played hockey with West Island hockey associations. He currently lives 25 minutes away from the riding. When asked whether he planned to move to the riding he said, “You’ll have to ask my wife.”
His wife of 31 years, Natasha Clermont, was among the family members who attended the Thursday announcement. The couple have a 19-year-old son who is a firefighter and could not attend because he was working.