Parti Quebecois names Pascal Berube as interim leader

PQ names Pascal Berube interim leader The Parti Quebecois have chosen Pascal Berube – a former cabinet minister and television personality – to lead the party.

The Parti Quebecois has named Jean-Francois Lisee's successor.

Pascal Berube, television host and the PQ's MNA for Matane, will take over as the party's interim leader.

He has been with the party since 2007.

In 2003, Berube ran as a candidate in Matane but was defeated by Liberal Candidate Nancy Charest. Four years later, in 2007, Berube defeated Charest by just over 200 votes.

He was re-elected in 2012 and 2014, and named the Opposition House Leader by Lisee in October 2016.

Lisee announced his impending departure from the PQ after the devastating loss during the election, where he lost his seat in Rosemont.

In fact, the party only managed to win nine seats and 17 per cent of the popular vote. It also lost official party status in the National Assembly.

Berube will be the stand-in leader until a new chief is chosen.

There's been speculation about Veronique Hivon, who said she'll no longer occupy the role of deputy leader because the PQ didn't win the election.

However, Hivon said it's too early to say definitively whether she will run for leadership of the party.

According to Berube, the first order of business will be to take stock of what exactly went wrong during the PQ's campaign.

"This team's going to be strong - going to be good for politics, good for the National Assembly," Berube explained. "I have a lot of pressure on me right now, but if you put this pressure on nine people instead of one person. It's a physical law, it's easier to resist."

"I do think I'm going to do my best," he added.

Berube said the party will be meeting in the coming weeks to decide how the next leader will be chosen.