The Parti Québécois doubled down on support for its candidate in Mont-Royal–Outremont yesterday, brushing off criticism about Olivier Bold‘s activist past that recently surfaced in media reports.
Bold, a 32-year-old community organizer running in the upcoming by-election, was arrested at a 2012 student protest during Quebec’s “Maple Spring” demonstrations against tuition hikes. No charges were filed, but opponents have seized on his participation as evidence of “radical tendencies.”
“Let’s be clear about what’s happening here,” PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon told reporters at a campaign stop in Montreal. “Young people who stood up for accessible education a decade ago are now being painted as dangerous radicals. Is that really where we want our political discourse to go?”
The controversy emerged after photos circulated showing Bold at several demonstrations, including one where police used pepper spray to disperse crowds. Campaign rivals quickly questioned his fitness for office, with Coalition Avenir Québec spokesperson Marie-Ève Rancourt suggesting he represented “extreme elements” within the sovereigntist movement.
According to Elections Quebec data, Mont-Royal–Outremont has been a Liberal stronghold for nearly two decades, making it an uphill battle for the PQ. The seat became vacant when former Liberal MNA Pierre Arcand announced his retirement last month after serving the riding since 2007.
Political scientist Geneviève Tellier from the University of Ottawa sees the attack on Bold’s past as predictable election strategy.
“When you’re facing a candidate in a by-election where turnout will likely be low, you try to mobilize your base by portraying opponents as dangerous or untrustworthy,” Tellier said in a phone interview. “But there’s risk in attacking someone for their student activism, as many Quebec voters have sympathetic memories of 2012.”
Bold himself seems unfazed by the controversy. At a small gathering at Café Social on Côte-des-Neiges Road, he addressed the issue directly with about two dozen supporters.
“I was 22 years old and fighting for something I believed in – access to education for everyone regardless of their family’s income,” Bold explained. “I’m not ashamed of standing with thousands of other students. That same commitment to fairness and opportunity is why I’m running today.”
Recent polling suggests the by-election remains competitive despite the riding’s Liberal history. A Léger survey conducted last week showed Liberal candidate Sandra Pouliot leading with 38 percent support, followed by CAQ’s Jean-François Lefort at 27 percent, with Bold showing surprising strength at 22 percent.
The PQ’s willingness to embrace rather than distance itself from Bold’s activist background marks a strategic shift, according to Philippe Dubois, political communications expert at Université Laval.
“The PQ is betting that younger voters especially will respect authenticity and commitment to principles,” Dubois noted. “In Quebec politics, there’s a long tradition of student activists eventually entering mainstream politics. René Lévesque himself was never shy about his own activist roots.”
The controversy has sparked broader conversations about political participation. Dominique Anglade, former Liberal leader, weighed in on social media without directly addressing Bold’s situation: “We should encourage young Quebecers to be engaged citizens, not punish them for it later.”
CAQ Minister of Higher Education Pascale Déry took a different view, telling journalists that while student activism itself isn’t problematic, “the methods used by some protesters in 2012 crossed lines that should concern voters.”
Meanwhile, Bold’s campaign continues focusing on local issues like housing affordability and healthcare access. At a doorstep conversation on Wilderton Avenue yesterday, he spoke with resident Monique Tremblay about her struggles finding a family doctor.
“The system is broken,” Tremblay told him. “I’ve been on waiting lists for three years.”
“That’s exactly why we need change,” Bold responded. “The status quo isn’t working for ordinary people.”
With voting day approaching next month, Bold’s team is banking on younger voters and those dissatisfied with the current government to overcome the riding’s traditional Liberal leanings. Campaign volunteer Stéphanie Rodriguez, 28, believes the controversy might actually help their cause.
“People are tired of politics that attacks someone’s character instead of addressing issues,” Rodriguez said while distributing flyers outside Mont-Royal metro station. “When they learn Olivier was standing up for affordable education, many voters see that as a positive.”
The PQ leadership appears to share this view. St-Pierre Plamondon ended yesterday’s press conference with a pointed message: “Quebec needs representatives who’ve actually fought for something meaningful before entering politics, not just career politicians who’ve never taken a stand.”
Whether voters in Mont-Royal–Outremont agree will become clear when they head to the polls on November 12.
