Courtesy

By Ruby Pratka

Local Journalism Initiative

New Democratic Party organizers in Brome-Missisquoi are breathing a sigh of relief after successfully recruiting a new candidate with just days to go before the registration deadline. The previous candidate, Magog-based artist Joanne Brouard, pulled out shortly before the April 7 deadline for personal reasons. Zoé Larose will now run for the NDP in the riding.

According to Elections Canada, candidates must submit a nomination package including a personal information form, proof of identity, a statement of support signed by 100 voters from the candidate’s riding, signed declarations from a campaign agent, auditor and delegate and a statement of endorsement from their party (unless running as an independent). The deadline to submit these documents was 2 p.m. on April 7; candidates who missed the deadline could not appear on the ballot.

Larose does not have a biography on the NDP website and attempts to get in touch with her through the party and on social media have so far been unsuccessful.

NDP press attaché Olivier Clavet said such situations, where the party had to replace a candidate at the eleventh hour, were unusual but not unheard of. “It’s happened one or two times out of all the candidates we’ve recruited,” he said. “We did have to get all of the signatures again.”

The NDP is polling a distant fourth in Brome-Missisquoi, according to poll aggregator Canada338. The riding last elected an NDP MP in 2011, when “Orange Waver” Pierre Jacob won the riding. Brome-Missisquoi has had Liberal MPs since 2015.

The aggregator estimates that the Liberals, with 47 per cent support, have a greater than 99 per cent likelihood of holding on to the seat left vacant by Pascale St-Onge. The Conservatives are polling second in the riding at 23 per cent, followed closely by the Bloc Québécois at 21 per cent. The NDP and the Green Party have four and three per cent support respectively. Bromont Mayor Louis Villeneuve is running for the Liberals, former CFL player Steve Charbonneau for the Conservatives, actor Jeff Boudreault for the Bloc Québécois, Larose for the NDP, acupuncturist and activist Michelle Corcos for the Green Party and entrepreneur Jack McLeod for the People’s Party of Canada.