While the summer period should have allowed the Legault government to refocus its message, it is clear that this was not the case. However, the issue seems even more fundamental since the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) seems to be moving away from the two central principles that led to its founding: nationalism and the economy.
From the creation of this party by François Legault, the response provided to the media regarding the CAQ’s position on the issue of sovereignty was clear: the population no longer wanted to know anything about sovereignty. As noted. The party nevertheless posed as the great defender of the Quebec nation within the Canadian federation.
Once elected, Premier Legault took advantage of every opportunity to highlight the major gains that Quebec could make within our current political system. The positioning was then seen as ideal, with the CAQ thus succeeding in distinguishing itself from the Parti Québécois (PQ) and the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), as a third way.
Barely two weeks after the resumption of parliamentary work and question periods, it is now clear that the Legault government’s position on the subject of nationalism is even more unclear. The Prime Minister actually made a public statement last week to ask the Parti Québécois to plead with the Bloc Québécois to stop supporting Justin Trudeau’s government in order to trigger a federal election as soon as possible. The government justified its actions by noting that the issue of immigration, an issue that has become critical in recent years, will not be able to be resolved with the current federal government.
This is where the party “bananizes itself” by putting aside the defense of Quebec, which is at the heart of its identity. Indeed, a short 101 course on the Canadian political system allows us to understand that the situation is favorable, with the influence of the opposition at its peak in a minority government context. Currently, the federal government must obtain the votes of one of the three opposition parties in Ottawa to remain in power. Thus, the Bloc Québécois, whose fundamental mission is to defend the interests of Quebec within the federal system, is currently able to obtain more gains by not immediately replacing a minority Liberal government with a majority Conservative government.
For the moment, the balance of power is in favour of the Bloc.
The CAQ is also buying into the fallacious rhetoric of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) and its “Liberal Bloc” theme. However, recent federal polls show that this argument is in no way helping the CPC obtain votes from Quebecers.
This recent saga also follows the one surrounding the Northvolt plant and the bowing and scraping made by the Legault government in order to obtain the construction of the battery plant that is now in jeopardy. The government was also put to the wall by the opposition, who questioned it, rightly, on the fact that energy blocks were granted to a foreign company, to the detriment of Quebec companies that also need them.
The CAQ defended itself against these accusations by mentioning that the salaries offered by the Northvolt plant are higher, but it is thus setting aside all the other factors determining the viability of economic projects that can today be grouped into environmental, social and governance factors. This is another case where CAQ nationalism, this time economic, seems to be giving way.
If John F. Kennedy said that a true politician is one who keeps his or her ideals while losing his or her illusions, François Legault and the CAQ seem today to be among those who are losing their ideals, to the detriment of Quebec.