Article content

Political analyst and former journalist Anne Lagacé Dowson will be the NDP candidate in the riding of Papineau, which is held by federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau.

She said she is running because there is a new mood across Canada and she believes the NDP has a good chance of forming the next government.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Lagacé Dowson to run for the NDP in Papineau against Justin Trudeau Back to video

“There’s a feeling of fatigue with the government and a certain amount of skepticism of the federal Liberals,” Lagacé Dowson told The Montreal Gazette on Sunday.

“Many people are looking at Thomas Mulcair as the next potential prime minister and I think he’s very credible in that role. Quebecers know him well and I think he is becoming better known and better liked in the rest of Canada.”

Lagacé Dowson was the NDP candidate in the 2008 federal election in Westmount-Ville Marie, but she lost to Liberal Marc Garneau.

She said she knows a lot about Quebec after having covered the province as a journalist and commentator for 20 years: “I’m a good listener and I care about fairness and merit and about public programs.”

She feels that the Canadian economy is “heavily imbalanced toward resource extraction and not enough toward a green technology environment,” she said. “I have two girls who are very concerned about the environment and I wonder what the future holds for them in terms of jobs.”

She said she would be acclaimed by the Papineau riding association in the next few days.

Lagacé Dowson was a longtime host on CBC Radio and more recently has been a political analyst on RDI.

Last fall, she failed in her bid to become the chairperson of the English Montreal School Board, losing out to Angela Mancini.