Quick on Parti Quebecois leadership hopefuls

MONTREAL – Results of the first round of voting in the Parti Quebecois leadership race will be made public on Friday evening. Alexandre Cloutier, Martine Ouellet and Pierre Karl Peladeau are vying for the job. Here are brief profiles of the three:

Cloutier:

Born: Sept. 1, 1977

Education: Lawyer with degrees from the University of Ottawa, Universite de Montreal and Cambridge University

Legislature: First elected in Lac-Saint-Jean in 2007; re-elected in 2008, 2012 and 2014

Cabinet: Minister for Canadian intergovernmental affairs as well as sovereigntist governance, 2012-14

Sovereignty: Wants to collect one million signatures calling for a referendum before going ahead with one

Personal: Married with two children

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Ouellet:

Born: April 8, 1969

Education: Mechanical engineer with degrees from McGill University and Hautes etudes commerciales; worked as an engineer for years at Hydro-Quebec

Legislature: First elected in Vachon in 2010; re-elected in 2012 and 2014

Cabinet: Natural resources minister, 2012-14

Sovereignty: Wants to hold a referendum in the first mandate of a PQ government

Personal: Mother of two

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Peladeau:

Born: Oct. 16, 1961

Education: Philosophy degree from Universite du Quebec a Montreal and law degree from Universite de Montreal

Business: Longtime Quebecor executive and now the media conglomerate’s controlling shareholder

Legislature: First elected in Saint-Jerome in 2014

Cabinet: No experience

Sovereignty: Will wait until the 2018 election before deciding whether to hold a referendum

Personal: Father of three and engaged to well-known TV personality Julie Snyder