Pierre Moreau says he won't run for Liberal leadership

One of the people considered a strong candidate to take over the Quebec Liberal Party is closing the door on any leadership bid.

Pierre Moreau was a former cabinet minister who came second to Philippe Couillard in the party's last leadership race in 2013.

Following the Liberals defeat in the last election, Moreau was said to have enjoyed strong support within the party for a potential bid to take over the top spot.

But in an interview with Radio-Canada, he says it is time to pass the torch to the next generation.

"For me, it's a lot wiser to close the door to the leadership race and say, 'I remain a steadfast Liberal, an engaged member of the party and it's clear I will put ideas forward,'" he said.

'We need to trust the next generation'

"In four years, the Liberal party will have to have a leader capable of embodying that new generation," he said in an in-depth interview with Radio-Canada.

"I'm not being ageist. We need to trust the next generation."

He added that he thinks the new leader should be in their 30s or 40s.

Moreau says the party should wait two years before launching the race to choose its new leader. Before would be too soon to divide a party that only recently suffered one of its worst election losses, he said.

Moreau believes the party needs to start by reconnecting with its base in rural areas. A majority of voters in rural regions turned to Coalition Avenir Québec in the Oct. 1 election.

Moreau lost his seat in Châteauguay to the CAQ's Marie-Chantal Chassé.

The 61-year-old says he is in good health after battling a serious infection in 2016.

With files from Radio-Canada's Sébastien Bovet