[RCO]

ADQ has gone too far off-track, defectors say
Party's caucus cut by one-third

By KEVIN DOUGHERTY, The GazetteNovember 7, 2009
Éric Caire, who lost his bid last month for the Action démocratique du Québec leadership to Gilles Taillon, is leaving the party to sit as an independent.

And Marc Picard, who until Taillon's takeover was the party's house leader - is joining Caire in leaving the party, led until last March by Mario Dumont.

The ADQ won only seven seats in the Quebec election last December, relegating the party from opposition status to third after the Parti Québécois. After Dumont resigned and became a television host, his Rivière du Loup seat went to Liberal Jean D'Amour in a by-election.

With yesterday's defection of Caire, MNA for La Peltrie, and Picard, MNA for Chutes de la Chaudière, the ADQ caucus is reduced by one-third to four MNAs, not including Taillon, who does not hold a seat.

"It is no longer the party I joined," Caire told reporters, saying the new leader is moving away from the centre-right ideas of the ADQ.

Caire and Picard said they don't plan to start a new party, and could run in the next election as independents.

Caire said he is convinced his majority in the 2008 election would have been larger if he did not have the ADQ label.

The pair were accompanied by former ADQ MNAs François Benjamin, who quit the party when Taillon was elected, and Richard Merlini, who was ADQ MNA for Chambly until he lost his seat in 2008.

Merlini, also a federal Liberal organizer, said Quebec needs a centre-right third party, appealing to like-minded people to pull together.

"Today is Day 1," Merlini said, inviting small-c conservatives to start a new party that will more closely resemble the ADQ under Dumont.

Asked if he believes Taillon is trying to sabotage the ADQ, Caire replied, "I think it is his natural talent." Caire has been "in reflection" since losing the leadership to Taillon by two votes.

Picard said the two planned to leave next week, but moved up their decision after a media report that party president Mario Cardinal, who pledged neutrality in the leadership race, secretly gave Taillon $6,000.

Cardinal said in a communiqué yesterday that his cheque, for $3,000 had not been cashed. A second cheque for $3,000 was in the name of Cardinal's wife.

François Bonnardel, chosen by Taillon as parliamentary leader, told reporters neither cheque was cashed.

Reacting to the resignations, Bonnardel praised the work of Caire and Picard and said it is hard to see them go, because they are friends.

"I am not going to abandon ship because two friends have left," he added.


http://www.montrealgazette.com.....story.html

[thurmas]

This is just sad Taillon should resign, the party should change it's name to parti conservateur or parti bleu for a fresh start and they should always advocate conservative policies to quebecers because no else is.

[ezbeatz]

The ADQ is done as a party. I imagine Eric Cairo is in the beginning phases of setting up a CPQ (Conservative Party of Quebec). Taillon is a) not a conservative b) spends more time attacking his own party and their supporters than the liberals or PQ and c) inept at the task uniting the party and leading it to electoral victory.

[ezbeatz]

Taillon actually starting attacking conservative bloggers in Quebec AFTER he won the leadership of the ADQ. How would you guys feel if say the leader of the CPC spent his/her time attacking you because you espouse conservative positions?

[cosmostein]

The ADQ is toast.
Time to scoop up who we can from the Provincial Party and run them Federally and make use of whatever is left of their grassroots network.