About 600 people welcomed Charles Milliard as the new head of the Quebec Liberal Party in Trois-Rivières on Sunday, days after he was acclaimed in a leadership race that no one else joined.
Milliard, who entered the room at the Delta Hotel in the city about halfway between Montreal and Quebec City on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, takes over a party recently shaken by the December resignation of former leader Pablo Rodriguez.
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Milliard outlined his five key priorities for a potential Quebec Liberal government: strengthening the economy, improving public services, supporting Quebec’s regions outside major urban centres, promoting culture and addressing access to housing.
Former Quebec Liberal premiers Daniel Johnson and Philippe Couillard, along with past interim leaders, attended the event to welcome the new generation of party leadership.
Rodriguez stepped down amid a crisis involving allegations of vote-buying and reimbursed donations during the leadership race he’d won in June.
A pharmacist by training from Lévis, Que., and former president of the Quebec Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Milliard faces the challenge of introducing himself to Quebec voters, having never held elected office at the provincial or federal level.
Party members hope Milliard will bring renewed energy to the PLQ, as he pledged to prioritize integrity, transparency, and accountability.