Quebec Liberal Party and its leader set sights on the regions

The Liberal Party of Quebec held an online conference with all its members and has its sights set on the Regions. SOURCE: Dominique Anglade/Twitter

MONTREAL — The Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), which does not have a single member east of the Island of Montreal, launched an important consultation on Saturday with the aim of regaining seats in the regions.

During a first provincial meeting of members since the fall of 2019, Liberal leader Dominique Anglade announced that the party is launching a website to consult Quebecers virtually on its Charter of the Regions.

The project aims to understand "the concerns and issues specific to each locality," the PLQ said considering that "the immensity of the Quebec territory and the diversity of its population make it impossible to apply wall-to-wall policies."

The Charter of the Regions is "the way to give yourself wings," to "regain the capacity to dream for Quebec," Anglade said, inviting Quebecers to think about "the kind of Quebec that we want to build together."

About 20 "non-partisan, open to all" consultations are being organized in all regions of Quebec. Participants can comment on the site and register for virtual consultations which will last until spring.

The political party wants to develop an "inclusive and sustainable" economy, bring innovative ideas on what the future will be, said Ms. Anglade in her speech.

"We need to be on the ground," she said. "We need to go and hear what people have to tell us. We need to go and communicate not only with our supporters, but with all Quebecers."

With the exception of the leader's brief speech, the meeting on Saturday morning, attended by around 600 members according to the organizers, was held behind closed doors.

The event aimed to present the game plan for the coming months, the Charter of the Regions and new software for the next general election, scheduled for fall 2022.

It will also allow the Liberals to discuss mobilization, challenges related to the pandemic and the party's financial statements.

The PLQ's finances have been affected by the pandemic, but the Liberals still believe that they have done well. The 50 or so events organized enabled them to raise more than $200,000.

-- this report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2021.