This Quebec battleground has an incumbent fighting for his life

Article content

TROIS-RIVIÈRES, Que. – In the three-party battle for Trois-Rivières, the Bloc Québécois MP will be on the ballot, but not the campaign trail.

On Friday morning, René Villemure filed his candidacy with Elections Canada. He went to the book fair to meet his constituents, attended a few meetings, and returned home to rest.

Villemure, first elected in 2021, will not campaign, deliver any political speeches, or participate in any debates. In fact, he won’t even attend his election night party.

Article content

A few weeks ago, he announced that he was battling cancer. He had no idea how the campaign would work. Now, he knows.

The incumbent will be at home battling his disease. On April 4, he will undergo surgery to remove a kidney. His recovery will take weeks, if not months.

“If we go into politics, it’s because we love elections… We work as a whole team toward a common goal… The idea of not being present completely during the campaign is one thing, but knowing that I won’t be able to support the people who work for me when I’m not there is eating me up,” he told the National Post in an hour-long interview at his constituency office.

After three hours of work, his body gives out and he’s exhausted. His doctor advised him to rest and avoid stress.

Article content

“I’m not stressed by nature, but in a campaign, well, you know, you’re stressed!” he said with a laugh.

Villemure is one of the most respected members of the House of Commons. In the last Parliament, he was a member of the ethics committee and was seen as a bridge-builder between political parties. He dislikes partisanship or dubious politics. He wants to get things done.

For example, he believes Mark Carney’s decision to travel to Europe a few days after being sworn-in as Prime Minister was “well done,” that his call with Donald Trump was “well-timed,” and that he feels Canada finally has a serious prime minister.

“He’s a solid person with credibility. Justin Trudeau has no backbone. I came into politics to get him out, that’s clear,” he said.

Article content

Article content

But he wants the government to remain on its toes. For the French language to be respected. For Quebec’s uniqueness to be represented in Parliament.

He knows that the election in Trois-Rivières and across the country revolves around U.S. President Donald Trump. But the leaders matter, too.

The Liberals’ rise is real, and his seat is under threat.

And then there are the high personal stakes. Why run? Why not take care of himself?

“It’s a game I really like, and I believe I have a contribution to make and I find satisfaction in that contribution,” said Villemure, who was an ethicist before going into politics.

And he doesn’t seem afraid of losing. Since the day after the 2021 election, he’s been knocking on doors, working on the ground, and focusing on his re-election. He’s well-known, and so is his team.

Article content

He recently recorded videos that will be broadcast during the campaign.

His team and an army of volunteers will be fighting to save his seat against Conservative candidate Yves Lévesque and Liberal candidate Luc Galvani.

A Bloc Québécois source told National Post that many MPs will be campaigning to get their esteemed colleague elected.

“René is a formidable individual and he is extremely important to our team. So yes, we will do everything we can to get him elected,” the source said.

For the Bloc, Trois-Rivières is a top priority. The party has won it in every election since 1993, except in 2011 and 2015, when the NDP won. The last Conservative victory was in 1988. The Liberals last? In 1980.

The riding is one of the most contested in the province. Three parties have a legitimate chance of representing the francophone and nationalist population located between Quebec City and Montreal.

Article content

In 2021, Villemure won by just 83 votes over Lévesque and 500 over the Liberal candidate.

Lévesque is running for the third time after losing twice. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre even had to authorize his nomination due to party rules, which stipulate that a candidate “must not have been unsuccessful in both of the two prior federal general elections”.

“I have nothing against René Villemure, but at some point, I mean a separatist party in Ottawa, democracy allows it, but I tell people when I was Mayor of Trois-Rivières, all mayors hope to have a Member of Parliament in power,” said Lévesque who was the mayor for nearly 17 years and who is running in an hos 11th election.

Lévesque’s pitch is quite simple: Elect him and aspire to be in government. He knows the campaign will be different with the incumbent on the sidelines.

Article content

“I wish him a good recovery, obviously it’s not nice to see that a candidate is ill… But that doesn’t change my way of doing things. I don’t look at my neighbors, I look at what I have to do,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Liberal candidate is taking a page out of Villemure’s playbook by playing nice and being transparent.

Galvani, who used to work in the school system, has proactively announced that he pleaded guilty to drunk driving in 2019.

“All of this came with a huge step back. With a greater awareness of the actions I take… I learned to rebalance my life, to review my priorities, to pay more attention to my health,” he told a local newspaper.

In an interview with National Post, Galvani seemed genuinely concerned for Villemure.

Article content

“I would like to have a debate, but I don’t feel like having a debate where Mr. Villemure won’t have the chance to be heard. I am a very fair person, and I respect the two men who are here,” he said.

He even suggested making things easier for his opponent by debating remotely, via videoconference, or even in writing.

Of course, Galvani wants to get elected. And his main asset is his leader and the Liberal team in Quebec.

All three parties are vying for this riding.

Meanwhile, Villemure will have to keep his distance, hoping to win a double victory: against cancer and on election night.

National Post
atrepanier@postmedia.com 

Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here. 

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here.

Article content