TROIS RIVIERES, Que. — The Parti Quebecois has reopened the debate over changing its name, but few of its members seem ready to take such a drastic step as the party seeks to recover from a 2018 election defeat.
Party president Dieudonne Ella Oyono has indicated that a name change is on the table as the party mulls its next steps in the coming months.
The party is meeting in Trois-Rivieres over the weekend as it seeks to rebuild after a disastrous provincial election last year that saw the party win only 10 of the legislature’s 125 seats.
The president of the party’s youth wing has indicated that the name could change if members ask for it, but interim leader Pascal Berube has indicated that it isn’t a priority and he prefers leaving the name as is.
Harold LeBel, a legislature member for Rimouski, says he’s strongly opposed to dropping the Parti Quebecois name.
LeBel says the name is part of Quebec’s history and people associate it with the hope for sovereignty.