At the end of the year, I wanted to look back at some major events that marked the news. I focused on those who will have an impact on 2024, which is upon us.
The strikes
Photo Agence QMI, JOEL LEMAY
Quebec has not experienced a similar strike movement in the public sector for 40 years. This fall will have served as a decisive union remobilization for the future. Public sector employees began the movement fueled by strong public support.
But this strike will also have traumatized part of the population. After years of pandemic, many parents can’t believe that another school year was wasted. The whole process of negotiation and confrontation in the public sector appears to be a big mistake. A process that many would be ready to rethink.
The war between Israel and Hamas
AFP
This region of the world is a powder keg. Nevertheless, Hamas’s barbaric attack on October 7 triggered something enormous. First, a merciless response from Israel which will leave its mark and which leaves little hope of a long-term settlement.
At home, this war has shown worrying tensions between communities. Above all, it unleashed an unsuspected anti-Jewish racism. On university campuses in Canada and the United States, we have seen the extent to which the woke movement, supposedly a model of inclusiveness, is crossed by dubious racist forces.
I recall what the president of Harvard University responded regarding the unacceptable nature of a call for the genocide of the Jews at her university. “It all depends on the context.”
The rise of Pierre Poilievre
Archive photo, QMI Agency
The victory that allowed Pierre Poilievre to take the reins of the Conservative Party was phenomenal. However, it was an internal race, between conservatives. At the start of 2023, many wondered whether this leader with certain radical accents could reach a broader electorate.
At the end of the year, his party outrageously dominated the Liberal Party. He himself clearly dominates Justin Trudeau. He is in a position to become a majority prime minister. Could he force an election as early as 2024?
The third link
Archival illustration provided by the city
Based on a single statistic, the government announced in April its retreat regarding one of its most discussed electoral commitments. A promise from 2018, repeated with even greater force in the 2022 campaign.
The CAQ lost credibility, then lost Jean-Talon, then returned with the third link in a derisory manner. There were other blunders too, with the end result that this government ended the year very weakened.
Will François Legault be able to put the boat back afloat in 2024? Or will he experience a demobilization of his troops and the departure of important players?
The Alouettes’ victory
Photo Agence QMI, JOEL LEMAY
We will say what we want, sport brings people together. With the Canadiens’ decades of mediocrity, Quebec has forgotten the Stanley Cup. Our Alouettes began the season without owners, in absolute uncertainty. New management, a few acquisitions, great team spirit and the underdogs brought home the Gray Cup.
Marc-Antoine Dequoy put the icing on the cake with a memorable nationalist outburst. The team begins a new relationship with fans.