Parti Quebecois: As PKP says goodbye, others will jockey for top job

MONTREAL – Pierre Karl Peladeau’s political resignation on Monday means the Parti Quebecois is looking for a new leader less than a year after electing the longtime businessman. A look at some possible candidates:

Alexandre Cloutier: 38, finished second behind Peladeau in last year’s leadership race with 29.2 per cent of the vote; first elected to legislature in 2007; served in cabinet from 2012 to 2014; has considerable following in party’s youth wing; lawyer who has master’s from Britain’s Cambridge University; in 2002 served as clerk for former Supreme Court justice Charles Doherty Gonthier.

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Martine Ouellet: 47, finished third behind Peladeau last year with 13.2 per cent of the vote; considered to be on the left; first elected to national assembly in 2010; served in cabinet from 2012 to 2014; a mechanical engineer who has master’s degree in business administration; held several positions with province’s hydro utility, Hydro-Quebec.

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Bernard Drainville: 52, ran in last year’s leadership race but dropped out to support Peladeau when he realized he would lose; best-known in English Canada as man behind PQ’s values charter, which would have forbidden workers in public institutions from wearing conspicuous religious items of clothing; first elected in 2007; cabinet minister between 2012 and ’14; has master’s degree in international relations from London School of Economics.

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Jean-Martin Aussant: 46, could be dark horse; former PQ member of legislature who went on to lead Option nationale, a small sovereigntist party; might be seen as someone who can unite various sovereigntist factions; economist by training, Aussant left Quebec to work in London for Morgan Stanley Capital International after Option nationale failed to win seats in 2012 election; has since returned to Quebec and leads left-leaning non-profit organization that works with community organizations tied to so-called social economy.