PQ president Catherine Gentilcore picked as candidate in Terrebonne byelection to replace Fitzgibbon

Catherine Gentilcore, far right, poses at the Parti Québécois national education council on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in Saint-Hyacinthe. (Jacques Boissinot/La Presse canadienne)

The Parti Québécois (PQ) announced Tuesday evening that the party's president, Catherine Gentilcore, as a candidate to replace Pierre Fitzgibbon in the vacant seat in the riding of Terrebonne.

A race for the seat has yet to take place, but Gentilcore has already been endorsed by Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon. The party leader will officially present her on Wednesday morning at a press briefing in Terrebonne.

Speaking on TVA, the candidate explained that this was a logical next step in her career, as she has been party president for nearly a year. She said she wanted to devote herself "full-time" to the party's social project and "defend independence."

The 39-year-old businesswoman from Repentigny is hoping to take the riding back from the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) now that Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon has announced he's leaving office. 

On social media, Gentilcore said she was "really looking forward to going door-to-door," adding: "I can't wait for François Legault to call this election. The people of Terrebonne have now been without an MNA for 10 weeks, enough is enough!"

Premier Legault has not yet announced that he will call a byelection in Terrebonne. He has six months after the departure of an MNA to do so.

Historically, Terrebonne has been an PQ stronghold since the 1970s, until the arrival of Fitzggibon. Between 1976 and 2018, Terrebonne has always been a PQ riding, except for a brief interlude between 2007 and 2008, when the Action démocratique du Québec candidate, Jean-François Therrien, won the riding.

In 2018, Fitzgibbon won the riding from PQ incumbent Mathieu Traversy, and was re-elected in 2022.

According to poll aggregator Qc125, this byelection will be contested between the CAQ and the Parti Québécois. It also indicates that the PQ has a comfortable lead in Terrebonne.

The Liberals are in third place, while QS is fourth.

The other parties have already announced their candidates for the MNA seat. In September, the Quebec Liberal Party announced the candidacy of Virginie Bouchard, while in October, Nadia Poirier was announced as the representative of Québec solidaire in this race.

With files from Thomas Laberge

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 12, 2024.