Iberville MNA Claire Samson to join Quebec Conservatives Friday
Duhaime #Duhaime
QUEBEC — Ousted Coalition Avenir Québec MNA Claire Samson plans to sit as a member of the Conservative Party of Quebec when the legislature resumes sitting in September.
Samson will make the announcement at a news conference Friday morning at the National Assembly after taking a few days to think over her future. It was Le Devoir that broke the news Friday and it has since been confirmed.
She will be accompanied at the news conference by the leader of the Conservatives, Éric Duhaime.
Samson was kicked out of the CAQ caucus Tuesday after making a $100 political donation to Duhaime’s party.
In a statement, caucus chair Mario Laframboise said the CAQ “cannot tolerate that an MNA of our party financially supports another party that contests and rejects science and health measures in place.”
Duhaime, a former political adviser known for his libertarian views, has been a harsh critic of the government’s COVID-19 decisions and other policies.
On Wednesday, Duhaime told the Montreal Gazette that Samson and any other disgruntled MNAs that they are welcome to join his party . He said he has been trying to woo several to join his party.
Samson’s decision means Duhaime will have instant access to the legislature because only a sitting MNA can invite an outside political leader.
Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who does not have a seat in the legislature, makes use of the rule daily to hold news conferences that give his party a much higher profile in the media.
According to the story in Le Devoir, Samson feels the Conservatives form the “only real alternative” to the CAQ.
The Conservative Party of Quebec obtained 1.46 per cent of the provincial vote in the 2018 general election. It is now polling at 6 per cent provincially but 14 per cent in the Quebec City region alone. The region is considered the CAQ’s stronghold.
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