MONTREAL--The Parti Quebecois appears to be stockpiling former journalists from the provincial political beat to run in the upcoming provincial election.
La Presse newspaper is reporting that Jean-Francois Lisee, a former reporter and onetime adviser to Jacques Parizeau will run for the party in Rosemount.
Lisee himself refused to confirm the information when contacted by the newspaper, which nevertheless claimed that the information had been confirmed by various other sources. Later Thursday evening, Lisee tweeted that he was still trying to decide whether to run.
The 52-year-old Lisee is seen as a separatist hardliner and a trusted advisor to Parizeau and his successor Lucien Bouchard in the 1990s before qutting due to his impatience to achieve sovereignty.
If Lisee runs in Rosemount, he would replace outgoing PQ MNA Louise Beaudoin, who has opted not to run again in the upcoming election.
The news comes on the same day as the party confirmed that longtime Radio-Canada parliamentary reporter Pierre Duchesne would serve as candidate in the PQ stronghold of Borduas south of Montreal.
Both candidates have written biographies of provincial leaders. Jean-Francois Lisee wrote one on Robert Bourassa, while Duchesne penned the life of Jacques Parizeau.
