Liberals pick Boulet over Giguère for merged riding
Quebec tourism minister Julie Boulet will represent the Quebec Liberal Party in the October general election in a new merged riding in the Mauricie region, leaving out fellow Liberal Pierre Giguère.
The Commission de la représentation électorale merged Boulet’s Laviolette and Giguère’s Saint-Maurice ridings last year as it redrew the electoral map to account for population changes.
The merger forced the Liberals to eliminate a candidate, which it reluctantly did in the face of an exceptional situation, said leader Philippe Couillard. The party issued a statement praising Giguère, who “worked tirelessly for the citizens of Saint-Maurice.”
Couillard said he was sorry “to be faced with this situation; we had two high-quality MNAs. It’s a question, I think, in the end, of experience and regional strength. Julie Boulet is an important person in the Mauricie.”
The premier said he spoke with Giguère on Friday and was “impressed” by his loyalty. “I told him ‘look, let the dust settle and we’ll see how we can move forward together.’ ”
Giguère expressed his disappointment in the decision in a statement issued Friday, but said he would remain an MNA until the end of his mandate. He said he is reflecting on his “future political involvement.” Giguère’s office in Quebec City said Friday he was “not taking calls.”
Giguère was a candidate for the Coalition Avenir Québec in 2012, then was elected as a Liberal in 2014. He had expressed an intention to run in the merged riding in 2018, and the relationship between him and Boulet seemed to become tense afterward. Last June, Boulet accused Giguère of a “lack of respect” for refusing to oppose an activist campaign to defeat her.