2021 report | CAQ’s popularity remains steadfast despite criticism

(Montreal) François Legault and the Coalition d’avenir Québec (CAQ) still stand alone at the top of the latest polls, less than a year from the general election.

However, the Caquista government has experienced its share of criticisms and weaknesses in the past 12 months: failures revealed in the management of the pandemic, saga surrounding air quality in schools, stormy relations with the unions.

The opposition parties have seized the momentum in these issues to attack the government on a daily basis. However, the popularity of the Caquistes seems to remain intact for the moment.

However, Mr. Legault said this month, during his end-of-session report, to take nothing for granted, predicting that the gap between the parties “will narrow in the coming months”.

Here is an overview of some significant moments in Quebec politics during the year 2021.

Devastating report

During the last parliamentary session, the Legault government suffered repeated attacks by opposition parties on the management of the pandemic and the massacre in residential and long-term care centers (CHSLDs) during the first wave of COVID-19.

In a united front, they demanded an independent public inquiry into the management of the health crisis, accusing the government of “hiding things”. A devastating report from the Québec Ombudsman and contradictory information given to the coroner who is investigating the wave of deaths that occurred in certain CHSLDs fueled their request.

Mr. Legault refused to go ahead with the opposition’s wish, arguing that different institutions are conducting an investigation or have already filed a report on the storm that hit CHSLDs during the first months of the pandemic.

Relations with unions

The health crisis also exacerbated the relationship between nurses and the Legault government in 2021, when the lack of manpower became even more glaring in hospitals.

Mandatory vaccination for health workers and the payment of bonuses to attract thousands of nurses have been a source of contention between the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, and the unions.

Mr. Dubé even attacked union representatives in nursing directly, accusing them of thinking about their personal interests in discussions on the granting of bonuses. An exit that aroused the anger of trade unions.

The day before, they demanded an end to the repetitive use of ministerial decrees that frame the working conditions of nurses and allow clauses in collective agreements to be suspended. The Interprofessional Health Federation and other unions have even turned to the Administrative Labor Tribunal to lodge a complaint of obstruction of union activities.

The government also found itself in confrontation with the workers of the early childhood centers (CPE) within the framework of the renewal of their collective agreements. The tone was raised when the threats of an indefinite general strike began to mount or were called. Negotiations were concluded around mid-December.

Ventilation in schools

In terms of education, Minister Jean-François Roberge has embarrassed himself regarding the issue of air quality in classrooms. He was accused of lying after Radio-Canada reported that Public Health never gave the green light on CO testing protocol₂ in schools, contrary to the Minister’s assertions.

There followed repeated demands from the opposition for a change at the head of Education. Despite the revelations, Mr. Legault continued to defend his minister, speaking of a “misunderstanding […] on how to qualify the collaboration ”with Public Health in the implementation of the protocol.

Mr. Roberge continued his work on the reform of the Ethics and Religious Culture (ECR) course, the basics of which he presented in the fall. The new program called “Culture and citizenship of Quebec” will gradually replace that of ECR ​​from the start of the 2022 school year. The course will focus on three main themes: citizenship, culture and the development of critical thinking.

Environment and third link

After being in the shadow of the pandemic, environmental issues have returned to the fore with the holding of COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland.

François Legault was one of the leaders who took part in this United Nations international summit on climate change in November. He announced a series of commitments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

At the same time, however, the Prime Minister had to defend the relevance of building a third highway link between Quebec and Lévis in a context of climate emergency and GHG reduction. According to him, this is a green project because it integrates public transit. An opinion that does not share experts and elected representatives of the opposition who call to bury this project.

A few weeks after his return from Glasgow, Mr. Legault held a first meeting with environmental groups who had demanded this meeting with the Prime Minister since the start of his mandate in 2018. The organizations came out disappointed, noting that the government caquiste still gives precedence to the economy over the environment.

Duel caquistes-solidarity

At the Salon Bleu, the Legault government collided with Québec solidaire (QS) in particular. The arrival on the scene of Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois as the new parliamentary leader of QS gave rise to strong discussions between him and François Legault this fall.

On the second day of the start of the parliamentary term, Mr. Legault called his opponent in solidarity with a “woke” after he compared the Caquist leader to the former Prime Minister Maurice Duplessis.

In view of the general elections of 2022, the solidarity groups seek to present themselves as the alternative of the CAQ in power, by making the environment their priority.

A fifth player

The National Assembly also welcomed a new political party in June: the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ). Elected party leader in the spring, Eric Duhaime went to recruit MP Claire Samson, excluded from the CAQ caucus.

Passing through the conservative camp, M^me Samson allowed the PCQ to gain media visibility by having access to the parliamentary press. This arrival could also allow Mr. Duhaime to claim a place in the leaders’ debates during the next electoral campaign.

Since Mr. Duhaime took the head of the PCQ, the right-wing party has seen its support increase in the polls. It particularly scores points in the Capitale-Nationale region where a conservative breakthrough could hurt the CAQ.

Legislative menu

On the legislative front, the Legault government tabled its bill 96 on the protection of French, which aims to reform Bill 101.

The Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, also presented his bill 2 amending the Civil Code to authorize the use of surrogate mothers and review the concepts of sex and gender. Some of its content has been labeled “transphobic” by members of the LGBTQ + community. This forced the member for Borduas to withdraw the obligation for a transgender citizen to undergo genital surgery to request a sex change in the official documents.

In the children’s sector, two bills have been tabled: that of Minister Mathieu Lacombe to modernize the supervision of childcare services and that of Minister Lionel Carmant to bring an approach more focused on the needs of the child to the Youth Protection Department (DPJ).

Minister Dubé, for his part, presented a bill to facilitate the sharing of information in the health network.

These bills will continue to be studied over the next year before they are passed.

This article has been produced with the financial support of the Facebook Stock Exchanges and The Canadian Press for News.