Dominique Anglade is an energetic and courageous woman. She proved it in adversity in the campaign. At the end of the exercise, she saved the day by snatching victory in several ridings where the Liberals were seen to be under threat.
She’s done enough to remain chief, for now. But can she really dream of clinging to the position of leader of the PLQ for the 2026 election? I will try to dissect the question based on historical facts and my knowledge of this party.
Let’s start with a reminder. Since the Quiet Revolution, six liberal leaders have lost elections. Five times out of six, the leader was no longer in office at the next election. The only exception: Jean Charest who lost in 1998, then was back for his victory in 2003.
Jean Charest had just arrived at the PLQ a few months before as the savior of Canada and obtained more votes than Lucien Bouchard. It was these special circumstances that saved him from falling into the same trap as the others. You understand that, based on the history of the party, the situation is not rosy for Ms. Anglade.
The three keys of the PLQ
Three fundamental elements allow a person to remain firmly anchored as leader of the QLP.
- To be a proud standard bearer of liberal ideas and values. Although the PLQ is a pragmatic party, certain values are fundamental to its militant base. Individual freedoms, attachment to Canada, the balance between the economy and society are part of it.
- Have strong ties in the party. The PLQ has always lived like a big family or like a big tightly knit social club. People stick together, help each other (sometimes too much when awarding contracts), and develop deep loyalties. The chef must be part of the family.
- Win elections. It is the most important. The PLQ is first and foremost a power party. A good leader places the party in a position where victory is within reach.
zero in three
Let’s review these three key elements while thinking of Dominique Anglade.
It did not know how to really impose strong liberal ideas to the point where the population and the militants themselves no longer really know what it means to be liberal.
She created quite a vacuum around her and did not put down roots in the liberal family. The proof: the empty rooms and the difficulty in finding candidates.
It obtained 14% of the vote, less than Québec solidaire and the Parti Québécois. She never threatened the advance of François Legault, she never allowed the Liberals to even dream of power.
Can she catch up now? Can she create the contact with the activists that the pandemic has complicated? Maybe… but what a task!
I wish him to have a good shell to live the next weeks of phones behind his back and secret meetings where we will forget to invite him. Politics is cruel.