Montreal — A religious sect that believes aliens created humanity has offered a small Quebec provincial party $1-million to run candidates in the next election.

The president of the Parti démocrate du Québec said he would rather have "normal candidates" but that the party might take the money being offered by the Raelian movement, which wants to field 60 candidates.

"It's a little bit against my own beliefs," Olivier Chalifoux told CBC Radio. "But I'm not sure I have a choice."

Mr. Chalifoux said he will replace the Raelians, however, if other candidates become available.

"I would prefer normal candidates — I told my executives if I can find regular candidates, I'll switch the Raelians for those people."

Three weeks have passed since Brigitte Boisselier, a prominent member of the Raelian movement, drew international headlines by announcing that her company had successfully cloned a human being.

The company, Clonaid, says a second clone has since been born, and a third is due imminently in Japan.

Mr. Chalifoux said he is hopeful, but not certain, that he will be able to find non-Raelian candidates.

He says his party has 1,000 members and 17 candidates. There are 125 provincial ridings in Quebec.

Mr. Chalifoux, an auctioneer by trade, was a member of the provincial Action démocratique du Québec party and placed third in the last provincial election in the riding of Mégantic-Compton.

He also ran unsuccessfully in Quebec for the federal NDP in the last election.