Jacques-Cartier Liberal still a question
As of deadline Tuesday, and with hours to go before the campaign kicks off for the provincial election, the Liberal party still hadn’t announced its candidate for the West Island riding of Jacques-Cartier.
On Thursday morning, battalions of volunteers will head out en masse to blanket ridings with posters emblazoned with political party slogans and the smiling faces of candidates and party leaders.
It will have to be a rush order for posters in Jacques-Cartier.
The party has known for three months that a candidate was needed.
In June, veteran Jacques-Cartier MNA and Minister responsible for Native Affairs Geoffrey Kelley announced he would not be seeking re-election in the riding he has served for 24 years.
Party spokesmen would only say that an announcement is pending and would likely take place before Thursday. When asked if it was taking so long because the party is struggling to recruit a star candidate, a party spokesman would not comment.
On Tuesday, the Liberal party officially introduced businessman Monsef Derraji as the candidate for the Nelligan riding. Nelligan MNA and Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux is not seeking re-election.
Derraji, who said he will encourage new businesses and help finesse transportation snags in the West Island, will have just enough time to get his campaign posters ready for the printing presses.
Printing posters can take time, unless you want to pay dearly.
René Bernatchez, co-owner of Montreal Printing in Ste-Annede-Bellevue, has worked on provincial campaigns in the past, but has not, to date, done any work for this campaign.
Bernatchez said that if a client supplies a ready-to-print design, the turnaround could be as fast as the next day or take up to five days, depending on the price the client is willing to pay. Montreal Printing prices for a 12 x 18 poster are $22.53 per poster for delivery within five days, $30 per poster for delivery within three days and $49 per poster for next-day delivery. It would appear the candidate in Jacques-Cartier will have to pay dearly.
Last week’s announcement that former NHL hockey player and television commentator Enrico Ciccone is the candidate for the Marquette riding triggered a maelstrom of controversy. Liberal MNA François Ouimet, who has served the riding for 24 years, was kicked to the curb after being promised the nomination. Ciccone is a political debutant.
Ciccone was contacted less than 48 hours before the nomination announcement. He headed out to visit parts of Dorval and Lachine (the riding also included L’ÎleDorval) to ask people about their concerns.
People talked about education and transportation.
“The people living in (the eastern sector) of Lachine are underserved,” Ciccone said of public transportation in the area. “There is (Candiac line’s Gare du Canal) at 1st Ave., but it shares the tracks with freight trains and there is too much waiting.”
The light-rail network currently under construction will not serve residential Lachine. Ciccone said building a track that would connect with the REM hub in Dorval might be an idea.