Parti Québécois takes stock after Pierre Karl Péladeau's departure
Former PQ premier Bernard Landry calls resignation an 'opportunity'
Quebec's Official Opposition is scrambling to redefine itself, a day after the shocking resignation of Parti Québécois leader Pierre Karl Péladeau.
Péladeau quit with little warning on Monday, saying he wanted to put his family first.
A day later, members of the pro-independence party are taking stock — and trying to figure out how the party can get back in power.
Leger Marketing pollster Christian Bourque says the challenge for the party now is to quickly find a new leader with the next election two years away.
"If they move fast they might have a new leader by Christmas or early in the new year 2017, which doesn't give that leader a lot of time to become a household name for Quebecers," he told CBC Montreal's Homerun.
What's next?
Véronique Hivon, a PQ MNA who is among those touted as a potential leader, said the PQ's challenge going forward is to put meaning into the project of making Quebec a country.
"The problem has been for many years now, the only thing we hear about sovereignty is the referendum," she told Daybreak.
"People don't dream about having a referendum. They dream about having [a better quality] of life, a better life for their children, having a safe environment. The challenge is to show how those goals can be achieved through sovereignty."
Hivon said she's not ruling out a leadership run but added that "it's early."
MNA Alexandre Cloutier, who came second to Péladeau in the last election, is also among the potential leadership candidates.
Another MNA, Sylvain Gaudreault, has put his name forward to step in as interim leader of the PQ.
Agnès Maltais, another PQ MNA, is another probable candidate.
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SylvainGaudrea2">@SylvainGaudrea2</a> says interim leader needs to have these attributes: calm...confidence...knowledge <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/polqc?src=hash">#polqc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cdnpoli?src=hash">#cdnpoli</a>
—@ryhicks15 years, five leaders
Former PQ premier Bernard Landry called Péladeau's resignation "a sort of a tragedy," referring to his decision to step down for family reasons.
But he added, "politically speaking, it will be an opportunity to have another leadership round."
With five leaders in the past 15 years, Landry acknowledged the PQ has had a tumultuous time.
He said that's to be expected for a party whose ultimate goal is to make a new country.
"It's a party of ideas and ideals," he said.
with files from Steve Rukavina