MONTREAL — Jean-François Lisée officially filed his nomination for candidacy in the leadership race for the Parti Québécois on Friday.
Lisée went to PQ headquarters in Montreal with 2,200 supporting signatures in hand, which is 700 more than the required number. They are divided among 77 ridings in 15 regions of Quebec.
He also presented the first deposit of $10,000, required by the party before June 30. There is also a second identical amount that will not be due until the end of August.
The MNA for Rosemont, who launches his national campaign on June 26 in his home town of Thetford Mines, officially became a candidate to be the successor of Pierre Karl Péladeau, after Joliette MNA Véronique Hivon.
Alexandre Cloutier, however, already filed his nomination papers on May 31, with more than 2,000 signatures — but without the $10,000 deposit.
The two other announced candidates, Martine Ouellet and Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, have until June 30 to meet the party’s running criteria.
While facing younger opponents who seem to embody the rebirth of politics, Jean-François Lisée does not hesitate to compare himself to the U.S. Democratic nominee Bernie Sanders, “because he tells the truth, because he gets wet, and because he breaks the mold because of his audacious and young ideas.”
Referring to the polls, Lisée admits he is facing an uphill battle against the leader of the race, Alexandre Cloutier. “He has a big machine and many supporters like Bernard Landry, Agnès Maltais and Stéphane Bédard, but I’m depending on my young and dynamic campaign to get the support of as many people as possible.”
