Actress Isabelle Blais will be the Parti Québécois (PQ) candidate in the riding of Maskinongé, in the Mauricie region, after being elected with 63 per cent of the vote at a nomination meeting on Sunday.
Blais, who is also a singer-songwriter, said she decided to enter politics “because she believes Quebec will experience a historic moment in the near future,” according to a press release issued by the PQ.
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“I am very proud to return to my home region to champion our ideas and this great project that is Quebec’s independence, without forgetting the issues that affect people’s daily lives, whether it be education, healthcare and local services, support for small and medium-sized businesses, agriculture, and culture, of course,” said Blais, a native of Trois-Rivières, in the same document.
PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon praised the candidate’s victory. “She is part of this new generation of artists who are not afraid to stand up for their convictions. As a separatist, feminist, and lover of Quebec culture, her contribution to our team will be significant,” he said.
Blais has appeared in film, theater, and television. She has notably appeared in the series “Stat” as well as in the films “Un crabe dans la tête,” “Confessions d’un homme dangereux,” and “Québec-Montréal.”
While the PQ and the Quebec Liberal Party are neck and neck in the polls across Quebec, this is not the case in Maskinongé, where the PQ holds a very solid lead, according to the Qc125 poll aggregator.
Blais’s partner, Pierre-Luc Brillant, also an actor and musician, ran as a PQ candidate in Rosemont in 2022, where he finished third, behind the winner, Vincent Marissal of Québec solidaire, and CAQ candidate Sandra O’Connor. He has already stated in the media that he intends to run again in the next election but has not yet made an official announcement on the matter.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
