PQ expected to elect a new leader this summer

PQ about liberty, justice and the environment The Parti Quebecois revealed first party platform since 2017, as it works to reinvent itself.

MONTREAL — The Parti Québécois (PQ) is expected to name its newest leader by June 19.

So far, Jonquière MNA Sylvain Gaudreault is the only candidate who has officially announced his interest in the top job.

The 49-year-old was first elected in 2007, defeating former Liberal tourism minister Françoise Gauthier.

Gaudreault served as minister of transport and minister of municipal affairs when Pauline Marois’ PQ government was elected in 2012 and was known as one of the party’s only two LGBTQ+ ministers.

As a member of the opposition, he served as the PQ’s environment and health critic and was named as interim leader in 2016 following the resignation of media mogul Pierre Karl Péladeau.

Other potential candidates include Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon, who previously ran for the leadership in 2016, and historian Frédéric Bastien.

The PQ notes it is currently working on the regulations of the leadership race, noting they should be in place by Feb. 1. The party has about 90,000 voting members.

The top job has been vacant since Jean-François Lisée stepped down after the Oct. 1 election.