Sklavounos to leave politics
No surprise to read that Laurier-Dorion MNA Gerry Sklavounos won’t be running in the fall election. The PLQ chucked him out in 2016 after allegations of sexual misconduct; he’d been MNA for the riding since 2007 and could easily have won another term if he hadn’t been overtaken by scandal.
The PLQ has been faced with some of its higher-profile MNAs announcing they won’t run again. On Montreal island, Martin Coiteux (Nelligan in the West Island) and David Heurtel (Viau in eastern Villeray-St-Michel) have announced they’re leaving the game. So the PLQ will be fielding new people in several city ridings this fall.
We’ll be seeing more pieces on the Quebec election, which I’ll be watching from the middle distance and a Montreal point of view.
My own position: I don’t want a CAQ government, and it doesn’t look like the PQ can get back in this time around. The implosion of the Bloc undermines Quebec independence as a viable major plank, whatever J-F Lisée may say. I’ll very likely vote QS since I only hear good things about our local candidate. Without much enthusiasm for Couillard’s PLQ I have to accept they’d be the least-worst option, but I’m concerned that many people will vote CAQ simply to get a change of air, without really pondering François Legault’s politics and what they would mean for Quebec and, more specifically, for Montreal.
Update: And François Legault presents seven new CAQ candidates for Montreal.
Sidelight: Reasons why PLQ folks may be choosing to draw a line under their political careers right now, from CP via CTV.
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