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Charles Milliard, the former CEO of Quebec’s federation of chambers of commerce and a pharmacist by training, is running again for the leadership of the Quebec Liberals.
Milliard made the announcement in a video posted to social media early Tuesday. He said he would work to restore the Liberal party’s standing in Quebec politics.
“This leadership campaign will be about bringing a stronger Quebec, with a better economy, a transparent government and public services you can actually rely on,” he said in the video.
Milliard came a close second in the party’s previous leadership contest to Pablo Rodriguez.
Rodriguez stepped down last month, after weeks of internal discord and allegations of vote-buying by party members during his leadership race.
Milliard is the first to officially declare his candidacy for the leadereship.
Several other potential candidates, including Karl Blackburn, the former head of the Conseil du patronat du Québec, have said they won’t run for the position.
If other candidates come forward, the race will officially begin on Jan. 12, and a new leader chosen at a party convention on March 14.
Others are considering the possibility, including Mario Roy, who also ran last time and received less than one per cent of the vote.
Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, a former CEO of VIA Rail Canada, told Radio-Canada earlier this week that the door is “still open” to running for the leadership.
Candidates will be required to collect 750 signatures from party members and pay a deposit of $30,000.
The leadership contest comes less than a year before the next election, with the vote scheduled for Oct. 5.
With less than 10 months to go until Quebec’s next provincial election, a nearly month-long scandal has led to the resignation of the PLQ’s leader, with several high-profile names already confirming they have no intention of replacing him.
