Liberal Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne candidate to focus on 'rights and freedoms' in by-election

Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) candidate Christopher Baenninger revealed on Saturday his first campaign commitment for the March 13 by-election: to be the "only candidate to always defend the rights and freedoms of all Quebecers."

During a news conference held Saturday morning in the candidate's new offices, the Liberal representative in the Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne riding assured that he would be a unifier and that he would give a strong voice to voters.

When the by-election was called on Monday, interim leader Marc Tanguay confirmed that Baenninger would represent the Liberals. Left vacant by the departure of former Liberal leader Dominique Anglade on Dec. 1, the Montreal riding has always been held by the PLQ since its creation in 1994.

Last fall, the businessman ran as a candidate in Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques, where he was defeated by the Quebec Solidaire's (QS) Manon Massé with 15.85 per cent of the votes cast.

QS presented the lawyer Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, who had come second to Dominique Anglade in the last election. The Parti Québécois (PQ) chose Andréanne Fiola, former candidate in Laval-des-Rapides last October, and the Coalition Avenir Québec chose the president of its youth wing, Victor Pelletier. The name of the Conservative candidate should be announced on Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 11, 2023.