CALEB NICKERSON
PONTIAC April 17, 2019
It was the subject of much speculation following the resignation of former Premier Philippe Couillard on Oct. 4, 2018, but Pontiac’s MNA, André Fortin, has confirmed that he will not seek the provincial Liberal leadership.
Fortin was the Transportation Minister in the previous majority government, and has taken up the role of health critic after the CAQ’s landslide victory in October. He had said previously that he was considering a run at the top spot, but last Tuesday he officially put an end to idea at a press conference in Quebec City.
“While I certainly appreciated everybody’s … enthusiasm and encouragements, at the same time I came to the very simple realization that occupying a function such as party leader, at a time when a party like ours is in obvious need of reconstruction, is a seven day a week, 20 hour a day job,” he said in a phone interview with The Equity on April 15. “I simply couldn’t reconcile that with the type of dad I want to be for my daughters.”
“It’s never something that’s really simple, but in my current life I’m away from my home, my kids, the Pontiac, five days a week at minimum and when I’m here I’m not necessarily home,” he continued. “I just came to the conclusion, with my kids at the age they are, it’s not something that could be done.”
Fortin’s daughters are two and six years old.
The Liberals will meet in early May to decide the rules for the leadership race. While Fortin didn’t comment on particular candidates for leadership, he said he hopes the party draws from a large pool of candidates and not just from within the current party framework.
“I certainly hope that the party takes an opportunity to allow for more people to take part in the process, maybe voting by mail, or voting by internet for a party leader,” he said. “As for who could lead that party … maybe the fact that I’m not going to run allows for more people, people from outside the party to run.”
He said that policy-wise, his party is at a crossroads and outside of their core values of federalism and social justice, there is a lot of issues to be discussed.
“Any political party, any movement, it really belongs to its members,” he said. “That’s the thing that has a lot of people enthusiastic about the future of the Liberal party is that it’s a bit of a blank slate right now.”
