Don’t talk to the members of the Parti Québécois about the collapse of their party in the last election, for them it was like a victory. They consider themselves lucky to be “still alive”. For his part, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon announced “four major projects” to boost the independence project by the next elections, in 2026.
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When the PQ leader walked through the door of a room in a Sherbrooke hotel where the PQ’s national convention is taking place on Saturday, Ludovic Boivin, an activist who was at the back of the room, stood up on the point feet to look for him.
Surrounded by the cameras, with his wife at his side, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon advanced somehow in the room, accompanied by the song “Toujours vivant” by Gerry Boulet. Standing in front of their seats, some delegates had tears in their eyes.
CAROLINE LEPAGE/QMI AGENCY
“What I like about PSPP is that he always talks about independence, morning, noon and evening, explained Ludovic Boivin, still under the influence of emotion. He reminds me of Parizeau.”
Other delegates interviewed earlier in the morning unwittingly quoted Boulet’s song when asked why they admire the leader who led the party to its worst electoral defeat in its history.
“The fact is that the party is still alive,” noted David Lemelin, a member of the riding of Taschereau, in Quebec.
“PSPP is a man who looks ahead,” breathed a man in his sixties, his fist raised, crossed on the stairs.
“Thanks to him, we are still standing,” said a young woman.
The abolition of the oath to the king is on everyone’s lips. “He rid us of that!”, “He’s the first elected official to enter the Blue Room without taking an oath”, are remarks that often come up.
PSPP promises four major projects
Earlier in the morning, the PQ leader presented the “four major projects” on which his party will work over the next few years.
The “Year 1 budget”, announced a year ago, is now promised for the month of June. A committee of 5 or 6 people is working on it, including the economist Nicolas Marceau, according to information from the QMI Agency.
The PQ also intends to present its response to the “initiative of the century” of the Trudeau government, which hopes to bring the population of Canada to 100 million people in 2100.
The “blue book”, which will criticize Canadian federalism and which will trace the contours of an independent Quebec, is promised for 2025. When asked if this document will be the “little catechism of the PQ”, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon replied no, laughing.
“It’s comparable to what happened before the 1995 referendum,” he said. We are inspired by the document ”Scotland’s future in future hands” prepared before the referendum in Scotland.
The PQ also wants to publish the definition of citizenship in a Quebec country in 2026.
Are these initiatives aimed at galvanizing the troops and consolidating the party’s electoral base? “No”, replied Paul St-Pierre Plamondon in an interview. “We have a unifying project, we want to talk to everyone”.
Congress
During this convention, leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon will submit for the first time to a vote of confidence, as provided for in the party’s regulations after an electoral defeat.
Remember that the PQ obtained the worst result in its history in the October 3 election.
The members will also vote on various proposals, including the most important: that of mandating the party to write a “white paper” on the independence of Quebec.
Other proposals to be debated include plans to nationalize water and lower the legal voting age to 16. The PQ will also consider the possibility of allowing young people to become party members from the age of 14.
More details will follow…