Voters in Bernier’s hometown say they like the man more than the party
SAINT-GEORGES, Que. — In Beauce, a region of rolling hills, entrepreneurs and pick-up trucks south of Quebec City, locals say they vote for the candidate, not the political party.
Since 2006, the various towns along the Chaudiere River have been represented federally by the Tories’ Maxime Bernier, considered in some circles to be the front-runner to become the next Conservative leader when voting results are announced Saturday.
In Bernier’s hometown of Saint-Georges, a city of 30,000 and Beauce’s metropolis and entrepreneurial heartland, businessman and art lover Marcel Drouin said locals like “Maxime” more than they do the Tories.
“It’s the horse, not the cart,” he said. “The region is not necessarily Conservative. Tomorrow if a horse comes as good as Maxime and he is a Liberal we’ll vote for that horse.”