Bowing to critics, Anglad stepped down as Quebec Liberal leader and MNA

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She says the party faces “numerous challenges,” including the need to reconnect with francophone voters “while staying true to its values.”

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November 7, 2022 • 7 hours ago • Read 5 minutes • 27 comments Dominique Anglad hugs her daughter Clara after announcing her resignation at a hastily called press conference in Montreal. Photo by John Mahoney/Montreal Gazette

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Just over 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 hastily called news conference in Montreal, noting that her first election as a Liberal MNA came almost exactly seven years earlier in a Nov. 9, 2015, by-election. .

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“With the interests of Quebec in mind and for the good of the party, this morning I informed the president of the party of my resignation as leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec. I am also announcing that I am stepping down from my duties as MNA for Saint-Henri—Sainte-Anne on December 1.”

Accompanied by her three children and her husband sitting in the front row, Anglade hinted at a tumultuous election campaign in which she accused Avenir Québec coalition leader François Legault of trying to divide Quebecers along linguistic and racial lines, particularly with his comments equating immigrants with increasing violence and the dilution of Quebec society.

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“If I chose politics as a means, it’s because I deeply believe that we have to work so that every person in Quebec, no matter where they live in our province, no matter where they come from, no matter where they come from – that person has the right to reach their full potential,” Anglade said.

“I will always see a great future for Quebec, so that Quebec takes its full place not only on the Canadian stage, but in the world. Quebec, able to protect its language and culture while representing all Quebecers.”

At the same time, she said the Liberal Party must take steps to modernize and make the environment a priority issue.

“The Liberal Party of Quebec must anchor itself in modernity. It must take advantage of the importance of the fight against climate change as a vector to create the overall wealth that is necessary for our solidarity.

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I love @DomAnglade’s commitment and discovery for Quebec. Ça prend du courage pour se lancer en politique. Ça prend de la determination pour être en politique. Ça prend de l’humilité pour quitter. Thank you Dominique!

— Francois Legault (@francoislegault) November 7, 2022

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Under Anglade, the Liberal Party presented an economic plan focused on promoting technologies that would combat climate change, but it failed to resonate with voters. Anglade herself has never gained much popularity as party leader, with fewer than 14 percent of Quebecers saying at the time of the election that she would be the best leader of the opposition.

Party insiders noted that roughly 30 percent of Quebecers polled said they couldn’t imagine voting for someone who didn’t look like them, suggesting Anglade’s skin color played a factor in her low approval ratings.

Anglade acknowledged that the party faces “numerous challenges,” including the need to reconnect with francophone 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 elections – and outside the Montreal base, where the Liberals won almost all their seats – the party finished third or fourth among the five main parties.

Anglad’s announcement came after weeks of criticism over her leadership, the way the election campaign was managed and most recently her decision to expel Vaudreuil MNA Marie-Claude Nicholls from the Liberal caucus after she refused to accept a role in the party’s cabinet in shadow.

Those criticisms – initially made anonymously but then reinforced officially by former Liberal cabinet ministers and MNAs – have grown sharper in the past 10 days, leading some observers to wonder not if Anglad will leave the leadership, but when.

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Anglade appeared to address those criticisms on Monday, saying the party could not afford to be “torn apart”.

“The Liberal Party needs to renew its political proposal, but also the way it conducts politics. It does not have the luxury of being undermined by internal intrigue.

Provincial elections on October 3 saw the Liberals reduced to 21 seats in the National Assembly and garnering just 14.37 percent of the popular vote, behind Québec Solidaire (15.4 percent) and the Parti Québécois (14.6 percent). Because of the electoral system for the first time, the Liberals formed the official opposition.

“The Liberal Party needs to renew its political proposition, but also the way it conducts politics,” Dominique Anglad said at a news conference in Montreal where he announced his 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-strong Liberal caucus (Nicholls turned down an offer from Anglade to return to the caucus and is now an independent), there is no clear candidate waiting, nor does the party appear prepared to 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,” Lego 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 Anglad is the first woman to bring sincerity and dignity to our parliamentary debates,” said Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson Gabrielle Nadeau-Dubois.

Quebec Party leader Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon tweeted: “Regardless of our differences of opinion, she has shown resilience and total commitment to politics and her party. I wish her all the best in her future projects.”

I applaud @DomAnglade’s commitment and dedication. Peu importe nos divergences de point de vue, elle aura demnedado de la résilience et un commitment complet envers la politique et envers son parti. 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 was going to be difficult. But politics is about doing hard things. And about making difficult changes. But I never run away from challenges.”

Two-and-a-half years ago, Anglade was named party leader after several candidates stepped forward to run for a job that was likely to prove onerous amid strong support for the CAQ. Anglad, who is of Haitian descent, 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 for her to be heard.

On Monday, she said she would 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 any questions.

1. Dominique Anglad undaunted: “I never shy away from challenges”

2. Robert Liebman: Dominique Anglad should not delay what seems inevitable

3. Former Liberal MNAs criticize Anglade for expelling Nichols

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