Byelection offers first test of Legault’s premiership

Low turnout expected for seven-way race

François Legault will face a first popularity test of his premiership in Monday’s byelection in Roberval. All parties will be dealing with the challenge of convincing the riding’s voters to show up in the winter just two months after they elected former premier Philippe Couillard as their MNA. Low voter turnout is therefore expected in this contest, which is seen as a faceoff between the Coalition Avenir Québec and the Quebec Liberal Party. Seven candidates are running in the byelection. For Legault’s CAQ, a win in this Liberal riding would add a 75th seat to his majority caucus in the National Assembly. This time, the CAQ has the advantage of being in power and can encourage voters to side with the government, which makes decisions and grants subsidies. The Liberals, meanwhile, will attempt to retain the riding by noting how its voters were wellserved by Couillard, who resigned after his party was swept out of office. He easily won his riding with 42.4 per cent of the vote in October. The Liberals are making this argument with a very different candidate than Couillard. Twenty-seven-yearold William Laroche is municipal councillor in Chambord and president of the Festival du cowboy. In October, the CAQ’s candidate in Roberval was Quebec City resident Denise Trudel. She received 24 per cent of the vote. Nancy Guillemette, the general manager of Santé mentale Québec/ Lac-Saint-Jean, is the CAQ’s candidate this time around. She was previously a municipal councillor in Roberval. Thomas Gaudreault is reprising his candidacy for the Parti Québécois. The 21-year-old, who received 19 per cent of the vote in the October provincial election, has worked as an attaché to Jonquière’s PQ MNA, Sylvain Gaudreault. Like Gaudreault, Québec solidaire candidate Luc-Antoine Cauchon will be running for the second time in two months. Last time, the chef picked up 10 per cent of the vote. Voter turnout in Roberval was 63 per cent in October. Legault, interim Liberal leader Pierre Arcand and interim PQ leader Pascal Bérubé will all be campaigning in Roberval on Monday night. Legally, the premier had six months — until April 2019 — to call a byelection, but he opted to proceed very quickly. The byelection is expected to cost about $600,000.