The 2020

Parti Québécois The Parti Québécois (PQ; , ) is a sovereignist and social democratic provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. The PQ advocates national sovereignty for Quebec involving independence of the province of Quebec from Canada and establishi ...

leadership election A leadership election is a political contest held in various countries by which the members of a political party determine who will be the leader of their party. Generally, any political party can determine its own rules governing how and when a ...

was held on 9 October 2020, to replace

Jean-François Lisée Jean-François Lisée (; born February 13, 1958) is a Canadian politician who served as the leader of the Parti Québécois from October 2016 until October 2018. He was first elected a member of the National Assembly of Quebec in the 2012 Queb ...

, who resigned on 1 October 2018 after leading the

to a third-place finish in the

2018 Quebec general election The 2018 Quebec general election was held on October 1, 2018, to elect members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The election saw a landslide victory for the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) led by François Legault, which won 74 of 125 seats, g ...

and failing to be re-elected in his own riding.

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon Paul St-Pierre Plamondon (; often identified by his initials: PSPP; born February 17, 1977) is a Canadian lawyer, media personality, and politician. He has been the leader of the Parti Québécois since October 9, 2020. He represents Camille ...

was elected on the third ballot with 56% of the vote. The election was originally scheduled for 19 June but was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec The COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec was part of the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Until 2021, Quebec had reported the hi ...

Background

On 1 October 2018, the

came in third in the Quebec general election, winning only ten seats and 17% of the popular vote, an all-time low. PQ leader

announces his resignation as leader after losing his own riding.

Pascal Bérubé Pascal Bérubé (; born February 16, 1975, in Matane, Quebec) is a Canadian politician and television host. He is the current Member of National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Matane-Matapédia (formerly Matane) and represents the Parti Qu ...

was named interim leader on 9 October 2018. On 13 December 2019, Bérubé announced that the campaign would start on 1 February 2020 and that the leader would be chosen before 24 June 2020.

Process

The nomination period officially began on March 2 and ended on April 9. To obtain an application form, each aspiring candidate had to give the party a non-refundable amount of $10,000. To make their candidacy official, each candidate must have submitted their ballot signed by at least 2,000 members from at least 9 administrative regions and at least 50 local associations and pay the party a non-refundable amount of $15,000. For the first time, the Parti Québécois allowed both party members and supporters to participate in the election of the leader. Supporters had to pay $5̩ to obtain the right to vote. Anyone enjoying the status of voter in Quebec could contribute to the campaign of a leadership contestant by paying him an amount that cannot exceed $500. Applicants' maximum campaign expenses could not exceed $125,000. Two debates were to be organized by the Parti Québécois between April 15 and May 20, with one to take place in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and the other in

Centre-du-Québec Centre-du-Québec (, ''Central Quebec'') is a region of Quebec, Canada. The main centres are Drummondville, Victoriaville, and Bécancour. It has a land area of and a 2016 census population of 242,399 inhabitants. Description The Centre-du- ...

, but they were postponed. The voting period was to have begun on June 15 at 9 a.m. and end on June 19 at 3 p.m. but was delayed until the autumn. Voting took place by preferential ballot. Thus, a candidate who collected 50% + 1 vote would win. If necessary, a second or even a third round would be held to, after distribution of the 2nd and 3rd choices, choose a winner. The results were to be announced by the returning officer, in a location to be determined in either the

Capitale-Nationale Capitale-Nationale (; ) is one of the 17 administrative regions of Quebec. It is anchored by the provincial capital, Quebec City, and is largely coextensive with that city's metropolitan area. It has a land area of 18,684.78 km2. It reported ...

Chaudière-Appalaches Chaudière-Appalaches (, ) is an administrative region in Quebec, Canada. It comprises most of what is historically known as the " Beauce" (; compare with the electoral district of Beauce). It is named for the Chaudière River and the Appalachia ...

regions.

Candidates

Declared

Frédéric Bastien Frédéric Bastien (1969 – 16 May 2023) was a Canadian author, historian, and journalist, best known for the book ''La Bataille de Londres. Dessous, secrets et coulisses du rapatriement constitutionnel'', whose allegations surrounding the 19 ...

, historian, college teacher *

Sylvain Gaudreault Sylvain Gaudreault (born July 8, 1970) is a Canadian politician and teacher. He was the Member of National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Jonquière in the city of Saguenay from 2007 to 2022. He represented the Parti Québécois. On May ...

, former interim leader of

(2016), former Leader of the Official Opposition in Quebec (2016), MNA for

Jonquière Jonquière (; ; Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 60,250) is a List of boroughs in Quebec, borough (arrondissement) of the city of Saguenay, Quebec, Saguenay in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Sag ...

(2007–present), Minister of Transport and Municipal Affairs under

Pauline Marois Pauline Marois (; born March 29, 1949) is a retired Canadian politician, who served as the 30th premier of Quebec from 2012 to 2014. Marois had been a Member of the National Assembly (Quebec), member of the National Assembly in various ridings ...

* , comedian * Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon, 2016 leadership candidate (fourth place), lawyer, political columnist, essayist and commentator.

Did not qualify

* Laurent Vézina, businessman * Gloriane Blais, lawyer

Declined

Yves-François Blanchet Yves-François Blanchet (; born April 16, 1965) is a Canadian politician who has served as the leader of the Bloc Québécois (BQ) and member of Parliament (MP) for Beloeil—Chambly since 2019. Blanchet was born in Drummondville, Quebec, ...

, MP for

Beloeil—Chambly Beloeil—Chambly (officially Belœil—Chambly) is a federal electoral district (riding) in Quebec, Canada. It encompasses a portion of Montérégie formerly included in the riding of Chambly—Borduas. Beloeil—Chambly was created by the 2 ...

(2019–present),

Bloc Québécois The Bloc Québécois (, , BQ) is a centre-left politics, centre-left and list of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism, Quebecois nationalism, social democracy, and the promotion o ...

leader (2019–present), Québec Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks (2012-2014), MPP in Quebec National Assembly (2008-2014) *

Alexandre Cloutier Alexandre Cloutier (born September 1, 1977) is a Canadian politician and lawyer. He was a member of National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Lac-Saint-Jean in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region from 2007 to 2018, representing the Parti Q ...

, two-time PQ leadership runner-up in the

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

and

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, MNA for

Lac-Saint-Jean Lac-Saint-Jean (, ) is a federal electoral district in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, northeast Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1925 to 2004, and has been represented since 2015. Demographics ...

(2007–2018), Minister responsible for the

Nord-du-Québec Nord-du-Québec (; ) is the largest, but the least populous, of the seventeen administrative regions of Quebec, Canada. Spread over nearly 14 degrees of latitude, north of the 49th parallel, the region covers on the Labrador Peninsula, making ...

region,

Côte-Nord Côte-Nord (Region 09) (, ; ) is an List of regions of Quebec, administrative region of Quebec, on the Quebec-Labrador peninsula, Quebec-Labrador Peninsula, Canada. The region runs along the St. Lawrence River and then the Gulf of St. Lawrence, ...

region, Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs, the Canadian Francophonie and Sovereignist Governance under

, currently out of politics. *Stéphane Handfield, lawyer *

Véronique Hivon Véronique Hivon (born 1970) is a Canadian politician in the province of Quebec. Hivon was elected to represent the riding of Joliette in the National Assembly of Quebec in the 2014 provincial election. She is a member of the Parti Québéco ...

, PQ deputy leader, MNA for

Joliette Joliette () is a city in southwest Quebec, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Montreal, on the L'Assomption River and is the seat of the Regional County Municipality of Joliette. It is considered to be a part of the North Shore of G ...

(2008–present), Minister of Social Services and Youth Protection, Minister responsible for the

Lanaudière Lanaudière (, ) is one of the seventeen administrative regions of Quebec, Canada, situated immediately to the northeast of Montreal. It has a total population ( 2016 Census) of 494,796 inhabitants, an increase of 4.9% over the 2011 census. Geogr ...

region and Minister responsible for the Die in Dignity commission under

Pierre Karl Péladeau Pierre Karl Péladeau (; born 16 October 1961), also known by his initials PKP, is a Canadian businessman, billionaire and former politician. He was also the MNA ( Member of the National Assembly) for Saint-Jérôme. Péladeau is the president ...

, former PQ leader (2015–2016), MNA for

Saint-Jérôme Saint-Jérôme () ( 2021 population 80,213) is a suburban city located about northwest of Montreal on the Rivière du Nord. It is part of the North Shore sector of Greater Montreal. It is a gateway to the Laurentian Mountains and its reso ...

(2014–2016), President and CEO of

Quebecor Quebecor Inc. is a Canadian diversified media and telecommunications company serving Quebec based in Montreal. It was spelled Quebecor in both English and French until May 2012, when shareholders voted to add the acute accent, Québecor, in ...

Campaign

Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon

Pierre Plamondon supported "forceful measures" to promote the French language while preserving the rights of the Anglophone minority. Plamondon also pledged to hold a sovereignty referendum in the first mandate of a PQ government.

Guy Nantel

Guy Nantel advocated giving English the status of a "national language minority".

Results

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parti Quebecois leadership election

Next NeXT, Inc. (later NeXT Computer, Inc. and NeXT Software, Inc.) was an American technology company headquartered in Redwood City, California that specialized in computer workstations for higher education and business markets, and later develope ...

Elections in Quebec Quebec, Parti Quebecois leadership election Elections postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic Parti Québécois leadership election