Quebec Conservative Party leader Éric Duhaime has named legislator Maïté Blanchette Vézina to lead the caucus in the National Assembly and support its new members.
Blanchette Vézina is one of the party’s few lawmakers with parliamentary experience. She previously served as a minister in the Coalition Avenir Québec government, then sat as an independent before joining the Conservatives in March. She won the La Peltrie seat in Monday’s election.
Her duties will include coordinating the caucus’s work in the National Assembly and negotiating with other parties over speaking time, committees and budgets. She will also mentor incoming legislators, many of whom have never worked in the legislature.
Duhaime acknowledged that he and his colleagues have much to learn in their new roles. He cited the fate of the Action démocratique du Québec, which became the official opposition after the 2007 election but soon suffered a major electoral defeat. He said his party must strengthen its team and make its caucus more professional.
The Conservative leader said members would be free to speak openly within the caucus. Once the party settles on a position, he said, its members would present a united front outside it.