Deputy for Chomedey Sona Lakhoyan Olivier, and deputy for Mille-Îles Virginie Dufour, are sharing their disappointment with the resignation of Dominique Anglade, announced last Nov. 7.
The two elected provincial Liberals from Laval are deploring the departure of Anglade at the head of the Quebec Liberal Party (QPL), but, above all, the way in which the situation unfolded.
“I don’t understand all the frustration everyone else is talking about, because I have nothing but praise for her,” Lakhoyan Olivier said. “I don’t know what they’re denouncing. I don’t understand since it’s not what I experienced. She was a good chef, like a good mother.”
According to the two deputies, Anglade deserved to keep her position until the confidence vote, scheduled for the next party convention in 2023, where members could have debated appropriately on the future of the political party.
“I understand she made the decision to leave politics, but I think it’s a loss for Quebec,” Lakhoyan Olivier said. “She’s a great lady.”
“[Resigning] isn’t something I wanted,” said Dufour. “However, I probably would have made the same decision if I was in his shoes. It was cruel everything that was said, how it happened. There’s a person behind it all, a human who has a family. I really liked Anglade, I wanted to work with her.”
Anticipated Loss
The biggest loss in the history of the QLP during the last election campaign was not a surprise, the polls had predicted it. So why such treatment of the former leader?
“There are people who criticized her who present when the decline in support for the party began,” Dufour said. “Would they have done better than her? I’m sure not. It is very easy to criticize when you’re no longer there.”
In recent weeks, several QLP activists, some acting anonymously, have denounced the decisions, vision and directions given to the campaign by Anglade.
“Is it because she’s a woman?,” Lakhoyan Olivier asked. “Is it because she’s a colored woman? I don’t know, but I don’t see any other reason. Looks like Quebec has a problem with a female leader, an [aspiring] prime minister.”
Yesterday, an interim leader, the deputy for Lafontaine Marc Tanguay, was chosen to replace Anglade as head of the official opposition.
The QLP will decide when to hold a leadership race.
translated by Alec Brideau
