Québec solidaire (QS) failed to build on the foundations of its electoral campaign and made timid gains, only in Montreal. The growth spurt of the party, which wanted to become the “alternative” to the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), was slowed down.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois’ party may send nine of its ten outgoing deputies back to the National Assembly, but it had only managed to win in a new constituency, Maurice-Richard, at the time these lines were written – around 10:30 p.m. Nothing was decided in Verdun, where QS had nevertheless led the way for a good part of the evening.
Solidarity Haroun Bouazzi and caquiste Audrey Murray fought a hot fight all evening in the riding of Maurice-Richard, deserted by the Liberal vote. Declared elected around 10 p.m., the QS candidate, vice-president of the Business Development Bank of Canada, received a warm welcome from the public gathered at the MTelus, which had not had much to eat until the.
QS co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois maintained that “despite everything, [le parti] has reason to celebrate”.
“We are facing a wave of caquiste. But if the trend continues, Québec solidaire will be the only opposition party to resist this CAQ wave,” he told the supporters of solidarity.
Then, speaking directly to the re-elected Prime Minister, François Legault, he undertook to pursue him on the climate issue, at the dawn of the “last chance mandate”. “Every time he wants to take a step forward on the environment, I will be his partner. Every time he wants to take a step back, I will be his opponent,” he said.
The positive news was slow to arrive Monday night at the QS campaign rally. The formation spent long minutes in last place in the percentage of universal suffrage votes. Supporters in solidarity may have greeted each vote in advance shown on the screen, no new potential gain was added to the hunting board of the formation.
The results in Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques and Gouin ended up waking up the crowd gathered on the floor of the performance hall. Co-spokespersons Manon Massé and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois both won their third terms in the National Assembly in what has become a pair of strongholds of solidarity. “It takes a strong opposition, both inside Parliament and outside,” said Ms.me Massé during a speech to activists. Well, I’m counting on you. »
Followed the election of solidarity candidates in Taschereau, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Mercier, Rosemont, Laurier-Dorion, Jean-Lesage and Sherbrooke. These constituencies had all been won by QS in 2018, almost all for the first time – except Mercier.
By winning Maurice-Richard, QS tints the island of Montreal a little more orange. “We have created a movement,” launched the newly elected candidate, Haroun Bouazzi, to supportive supporters on Monday. In Verdun, the president of the party, Alejandra Zaga Mendez, has long elbowed with the liberal Isabelle Melançon. At the time these lines were written, the result was more than uncertain in this riding in southwestern Montreal.
If it imposes itself more on the island of Montreal, QS loses a regional MP: Émilise Lessard-Therrien. The outgoing elected from Rouyn-Noranda–Témiscamingue bit the dust against the CAQ candidate Daniel Bernard. And he failed to impose himself in Saint-François, Hull or Rimouski, where the party had many hopes.
“Change era” or “continue”
Québec solidaire had started this “last chance” campaign by posing as an “alternative” to François Legault’s CAQ. “If there is one person in Quebec who is capable of beating François Legault, it’s Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois,” Manon Massé said of his co-spokesperson from a Sherbrooke vineyard on the first day of the campaign. electoral.
The left-wing party had the ambition to make substantial “gains” for a second election in a row. In 2018, he had increased his harvest of seats from three to ten with 16% of the popular vote. Shortly before midnight, this time, he claimed 15% of it.
Appointed parliamentary leader of his political formation in 2021, “GND” became in the last year of the 42e legislature François Legault’s toughest opponent in the Blue Room, according to several observers. This pugnacious relationship carried over to the campaign road when the CAQ leader attacked Quebec solidaire’s “orange taxes” and when he criticized Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois’ “wonderland” during the second debate.
The aspiring prime minister in solidarity responded by attacking the policies worthy of the “Halloween” of the leader of the CAQ. “Stop scaring the world,” he said.
QS also suffered the wrath of its opponents last week, when its candidate Marie-Eve Rancourt was surprised to steal a pamphlet in PQ colors from the mailbox of a voter in the riding of Camille-Laurin. This “serious error in judgement”, as Mr. Nadeau-Dubois described it, earned him the exclusion of the solidarity team.
To fight against the climate emergency, QS had presented Quebecers with its “Vision 2030” plan, which included taxes on the purchase of polluting emission vehicles. Another key commitment of the left party: its tax on the “rich”, which provided additional tax payments for each dollar above a million in net worth, has been attacked from all sides.
The solidarity parliamentary group will again occupy the role of second opposition group in the 43e legislature of the Parliament of Quebec.