By Canadian Press

Quebec Premier announces candidate for upcoming byelection in Marie-Victorin riding

Jan 30, 2022 | 12:52 PM

MONTREAL — Quebec Premier François Legault has named the woman who will carry his party’s banner during a pending byelection in a Montreal-area riding.

He says Shirley Dorismond will represent the Coalition Avenir Québec when voters go to the polls in the Longueuil riding of Marie-Victorin on the south shore of Montreal. A date for the vote has not yet been set.

Legault confirmed the nomination today at a press conference following pressure from opposition parties to unveil the CAQ candidate.

Dorismond, who grew up in Longueuil, Que., is a nurse and former vice-president of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé, one of Quebec’s major unions representing nurses and respiratory therapists. She’s repeatedly criticized the government in the past regarding systemic racism and poor working conditions for women in the health-care system.

Legault describes her experience as “absolutely necessary in reshaping Quebec’s health-care system.”

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“I will be happy to talk about my own experiences, my observations to the minister responsible to fight racism,” Dorismond said today when asked for her current views.

The seat in Marie-Victorin became vacant last November after independent MNA Catherine Fournier was elected mayor of Longueuil.

Dorismond becomes the sixth candidate announced to run in the byelection. She will be facing Shophika Vaithyanathasarma with Québec Solidaire, Liberal candidate Émilie Nollet, Pierre Nantel of the Parti Québécois, Conservative Anne Casabonne and the leader of the new party Climat Québec, Martine Ouellet.

The riding has traditionally been held by the Parti Québécois over the past 40 years.

Legault said he’s held off on setting a date for the byelection in hopes the COVID-19 pandemic won’t hamper voter engagement.

“We want to maximize the number of people who will get involved in this byelection, which means going door-to-door, meetings of all sort,” Legault said. “So we will wait until the pandemic is a little more under control.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2022.

Virginie Ann, The Canadian Press