Antoine Dionne Charest named Liberal candidate in Verdun
antoine dionne charest will be invested as the Liberal candidate in the Verdun riding on Wednesday evening, giving the party its nominee in a Montreal-area seat ahead of the next Quebec election. He is the son of former Quebec premier Jean Charest.
Verdun nomination
The nomination gives the Parti libéral du Québec a candidate in Verdun before the October 2026 election. Dionne Charest had said several times that he wanted to be a candidate for the party, and he already had a role in its political commission and relaunch committee.
He also spoke in favor of adopting a Quebec constitution. That position places him in a debate that goes beyond a single riding, since the nomination arrives while the party is trying to organize for the next provincial vote.
Jean Charest and the PLQ
Jean Charest led Quebec from 2003 to 2012, a background that will follow his son into the campaign. Antoine Dionne Charest supported former Roberval MNA Karl Blackburn during the Liberal leadership race, before Pablo Rodriguez won it.
Rodriguez resigned six months after his victory because of allegations of irregularities in the financing of his race. Charles Milliard was later elected leader, leaving Dionne Charest to enter the race under new leadership and with the party already through one internal turnover.
October 2026 election
For Verdun voters, the immediate change is straightforward: the Liberals now have a named candidate in place, and local organizing can move from speculation to campaign work. The next Quebec election is scheduled for October 2026, so the nomination gives the party a set face in the riding well before the writ period.
That timing leaves Dionne Charest with a long runway to build a campaign around his party roles, his support for Blackburn, and his public interest in running. The Wednesday evening investment is the point at which those pieces become an active candidacy rather than a possibility.
