Actor and musician Pierre-Luc Brillant is trying his luck again under the banner of the Parti Québécois.
The political party announced Saturday that he will run for a second time in the Montreal riding of Rosemont, a bastion of solidarity where nothing is yet decided since the outgoing MNA, Vincent Marissal, announced his retirement from political life.
Brillant finished third in the 2022 election, behind Marissal and Sandra O’Connor, the CAQ candidate. Despite his electoral defeat, Brillant continued his political commitment, becoming vice-president of the Union des artistes in 2023.
“I am returning to a constituency that is deeply dear to me, driven by the same conviction as in 2022, but with increased experience and renewed determination,” he said in a statement.
The 48-year-old actor became known to the public in 2006 thanks to his role as Raymond Beaulieu in the film C.R.A.Z.Y by Jean-Marc Vallée.
A graduate of the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, he has also undertaken and participated in several musical projects during his artistic career.
“My activism has always been expressed through culture and civic engagement. Culture is our beating heart, the trunk on which all the branches of our nation grow, he said. As an artist, I deeply believe that it must not only be protected, but resolutely projected towards a sustainable and prosperous future, with no foreseeable deadline.”
PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon describes him as one of “those artists whose work embodies the quest for freedom that dwells in the hearts of Quebecers.”
“Through his memorable roles as well as through his music, he transmits an unconditional love for Quebec and its culture, making him an artist deeply rooted in our identity,” he added in a statement.
While he intends to defend the Quebec idea and its culture, the PQ candidate says that the “priority project” for the citizens of Rosemont remains the reconstruction of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital.
“Rosemont is an exceptional environment, but it must remain accessible to those who live there and bring it to life,” said the actor, who is one of the residents of the neighbourhood.
Pierre-Luc Brillant will face David Lavoie, the former executive director of the Festival TransAmériques, who is running under the Liberal banner, the Solidaire Gisèle Pouhe Njall, the CAQ member Nour Aliyah Attié and the Conservative Mildred Mathieu.
Rosemont was a PQ stronghold for a long time until the election of Vincent Marissal in 2018, who has represented the riding since then. The latter slammed the door of Québec solidaire in November and has since sat as an independent candidate for the National Assembly. In March, he announced his retirement from political life and that he would not stand for re-election as a candidate in the autumn.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
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