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About 600 people welcomed\u00a0Charles\u00a0Milliard\u00a0as the\u00a0new\u00a0head of the\u00a0Quebec\u00a0Liberal\u00a0Party, in Trois-Rivi\u00e8res, Que., on Sunday, days after he was acclaimed in a leadership race that no one else joined.<\/p>\n
Milliard, who entered the room at the Delta Hotel in the city about halfway between Montreal and\u00a0Quebec\u00a0City on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, takes over a\u00a0party\u00a0recently shaken by the December resignation of former\u00a0leader\u00a0Pablo Rodriguez.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have gone through a difficult period, but today we look forward,\u201d\u00a0Milliard\u00a0said. <\/p>\n
\u201cUnder my leadership, integrity, transparency, and accountability will be the watchwords because the\u00a0party\u00a0I want to lead must be above reproach, and trust is earned, not requested.\u201d<\/p>\n
Milliard\u00a0outlined his five key priorities for a potential\u00a0Quebec\u00a0Liberal\u00a0government: strengthening the economy, improving public services, supporting Quebec\u2019s regions outside major urban centres, promoting culture and addressing access to housing.<\/p>\n
He highlighted flagship policies a\u00a0Liberal\u00a0government would pursue, including a telemedicine platform available seven days a week, a goal of 100,000\u00a0new\u00a0housing starts per year, and tax relief for small and medium-sized businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am nationalist, I am regionalist, I am federalist, and no, that is not contradictory,\u201d\u00a0Milliard\u00a0told the audience.<\/p>\n
Former\u00a0Quebec\u00a0Liberal\u00a0premiers Daniel Johnson and Philippe Couillard, along with past interim leaders, attended the event to welcome the\u00a0new\u00a0generation of\u00a0party\u00a0leadership.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rodriguez stepped down amid a crisis involving allegations of vote-buying and reimbursed donations during the leadership race he’d won in June.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Originally from L\u00e9vis, Que., and former president of the\u00a0Quebec\u00a0Federation of Chambers of Commerce,\u00a0Milliard\u00a0faces the challenge of introducing himself to\u00a0Quebec\u00a0voters, having never held elected office at the provincial or federal level.<\/p>\n
At Sunday’s event, he promised to hold broad consultations on education if elected this fall, aiming to reform the system to better engage both students and teachers. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur current system has reached its limit \u2014 the bell has rung,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A pharmacist by training,\u00a0Milliard\u00a0said mental health would be a top priority, alongside expanding home-care services. He said a\u00a0Liberal\u00a0government would invest so seniors can stay as long as possible in their homes and regions, adding that uprooting seniors is “a scourge on society.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Milliard\u00a0further pledged to empower local governments, calling himself \u201cthe prime minister of decentralization in\u00a0Quebec.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later, in his first news conference as\u00a0leader,\u00a0Milliard\u00a0said the coming week would be important for the\u00a0party, including decisions at the first caucus meeting \u2014 notably on the future of MNA Marwah Rizqy.\u00a0<\/p>\n