Publication date: Nov 07, 2022 • 6 hours ago • 5 minutes read • 27 comments Dominique Anglade hugs daughter Clara after announcing her resignation at a hurried press conference in Montreal. Photo by John Mahoney/Montreal Gazette

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A little more than a month after leading Quebec’s Liberal Party to its worst electoral defeat in its history, Dominique Anglade announced Monday that she is stepping down as party leader and MNA for the Montreal riding of Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne.

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“I’m closing one chapter of my life and starting another,” Anglade told reporters at a hurried news conference in Montreal, noting that her first election as a Liberal MNA came almost exactly seven years earlier in a by-election on Nov. 9, 2015. . Sign up to receive daily news headlines from the Montreal Gazette, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. By clicking the subscribe button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

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“With Quebec’s interests in mind and for the good of the party, I informed the party president this morning of my resignation as leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec. I am also announcing that I am stepping down as MNA for Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne on December 1.” Accompanied by her three children and her husband sitting in the front row, Anglade addressed a fractious election campaign in which she accused Coalition Avenir Québec leader François Legault of trying to divide Quebecers along linguistic and racial lines, particularly with his comments equating immigrants with increased violence and the weakening of Cebuano society.

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“If I have chosen politics as a vehicle, it is because I deeply believe that we must work so that every person in Quebec, regardless of where they live in our province, regardless of their background, regardless of their origin — that person has the right to achieve their full potential,” Anglade said. “I will always see a great future for Quebec, so that Quebec can take its full place not only on the Canadian stage, but also in the world. A Quebec that can defend its language and culture while representing all Quebecers.” At the same time, he said the Liberal party must take steps to modernize and make the environment a priority. “The Liberal Party of Quebec must be anchored in modernity. It must capitalize on the importance that the fight against climate change represents, as a generator of the overall wealth necessary for our solidarity.”

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I want to highlight @DomAnglade’s commitment and dedication to Quebec. It takes courage to enter politics. It takes determination to be in politics. It takes humility to walk away. Thank you Dominique! — François Legault (@francoislegault) November 7, 2022

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Under England, the Liberal party presented an economic plan focused on promoting technologies that would fight climate change, but it failed to resonate with voters. Anglade herself never gained much traction as party leader, with less than 14 per cent of Quebecers saying during the election that she would make the best opposition leader. Party members noted that about 30 percent of Quebecers polled said they couldn’t see themselves voting for someone who didn’t look like them, suggesting that Anglade’s skin color played a factor in her low ratings . Anglade acknowledged that the party faces “many challenges,” including the need to reconnect with French-speaking voters in all regions of Quebec “while staying true to its values.”

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Fewer than one in 10 Quebecers voted Liberal in the election. In many regional ridings — and outside the base of Montreal where the Liberals won almost all of their seats — the party finished third or fourth among the five main parties. Anglade’s announcement came after weeks of criticism of her leadership, her handling of the election campaign and, most recently, her decision to expel Vaudreuil MNA Marie-Claude Nichols from the Liberal caucus after the latter refused to accept role in the party’s shadow cabinet. Those criticisms — made anonymously at first but then amplified on the record by former Liberal cabinet ministers and MNAs — have grown louder over the past 10 days, prompting some observers to wonder whether Anglade would step down from the leadership, but never.

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Anglade appeared to address those criticisms on Monday, saying the party could not afford to be “torn”. “The Liberal party must renew its political offer, but also the way in which it practices politics. It cannot afford to be undermined by internal intrigues.” In the October 3rd provincial election, the Liberals were reduced to 21 seats in the National Assembly and garnered just 14.37 percent of the popular vote, behind Québec solidaire (15.4 percent) and the Parti Québécois (14.6 percent) . Due to the first electoral system, the Liberals formed the official Opposition. “The Liberal Party needs to renew its political offering, but also the way it does politics,” Dominique Anglade said at a press conference in Montreal where she announced her resignation as party leader and MNA. Photo by John Mahoney/Montreal Gazette The National Assembly is due to reconvene on November 29. While an interim leader will have to be found in the now 19-member Liberal caucus (Nicholls turned down an offer from England to return to the caucus and now sits as an independent), there is no clear candidate waiting in the wings, nor does the party seem ready for the political and logistical challenges that a leadership campaign would create in the short term.

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After Anglade’s announcement, her political opponents recognized her service. “I want to applaud (Anglade’s) commitment and dedication to Quebec,” Legault said on Twitter. “It takes courage to enter politics. It takes determination to be in politics. It takes humility to walk away. Thank you Dominique!” “Dominique Anglade is a first woman, who brought honesty and dignity to our parliamentary debates,” said Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon tweeted: “Regardless of our differences of opinion, she showed resilience and full commitment to politics and her party. I wish her the best in her future endeavors.” I applaud @DomAnglade’s commitment and dedication. Regardless of our differences in outlook, she will have shown resilience and total commitment to politics and her party. I wish him the best for his future projects. #polqc — Paul St-Pierre Plamondon (@PaulPlamondon) November 7, 2022

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In an interview with the Montreal Gazette during the election campaign, Anglade said: “I knew it would be difficult. But politics is about doing hard things. And for hard changes. But I never shy away from a challenge.” Two and a half years ago, Anglade was recognized as party leader after a handful of candidates stepped forward to contest a position that was likely to prove onerous given strong support for the CAQ. Anglade, who is originally from Haiti, became the first woman and the first person of color to lead the Liberal party in its 150-year history. Most of her time in the official opposition was spent during the pandemic, making it difficult to be heard. On Monday, she said she will use her experience as a successful business consultant and her seven years in politics “to serve Quebec in a different way.” “Thank you,” she said, then hugged her family and left without asking.

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