The Quebec Liberal Party sees power on the horizon. He sees it in the distance in his binoculars, in miniature format, and since the departure of Dominique Anglade, the image remains very small.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
Changing leaders will not be enough. Mme Anglade wasn’t taking her side to the top, but she wasn’t a drag either. The decline in popularity began in 2014.
The problem was deeper and it remains.
Here is an example.
Last June, MP Marc Tanguay accused François Legault of assembling nothing less than the “dream team of separation”. “Why does he prioritize his approach to the separation of Quebec on the backs of Quebecers? “, he launched.
On the other side of the room, the caquists were laughing in his face. Which is usually a bad sign, especially when you weren’t trying to be funny.
Does anyone – I mean sober individuals – seriously believe that Mr. Legault will call a referendum on independence?
This disconnection with Francophones and this refusal to leave the federalist-independence divide are sinking the Liberals. Their old fortified castles of Verdun and Laporte escaped them. They only have the ridings of Montreal and Laval where there are fewer Francophones.
Even the seat of Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne, where a by-election will be called by the end of spring following the departure of Mme Anglade, could be lost.
A sign of the times, new MPs are systematically tweeting in bilingual. To see them go, between the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC) of Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), there is only a letter of difference. It threatens to become a vicious circle. The more they speak on behalf of their anti-nationalist constituents, the more they will alienate other Quebecers.
Mme Anglade had attempted a timid nationalist turn in 2019 by promising to strengthen Law 101. She backed down under pressure from her West Island deputies.
I see nothing in the new cohort to reverse the trend.
The Liberals’ first task will be to appoint an interim leader. The lack of choice is an embarrassment.
This post usually goes to a veteran, like Jean-Marc Fournier in 2012 or Pierre Arcand in 2018. But no one fits this profile in the current Liberal caucus, half of whose deputies are rookies.
The interim chief will have to supervise these newcomers and renew the entourage. It is a reproach which constantly returned to the place of Mr.me England. Even on condition of anonymity, I have never heard a liberal attack his personality. His qualities were recognized by all. But his leadership was less so. The most frequent criticism: she surrounded herself badly and she did not arbitrate the conflicts around her enough.
If the Liberals wish to prove their allegiance to Quebec, they can facilitate the work to put an end to the oath. From them, we expect a minimum service: not to harm those who want to abolish this colonial subjection.
For the rest, the moral authority of the interim leader will be limited. He will not be able to change the ideological orientation of the party. But nothing prevents him from adjusting the style a bit…
Anecdote told by three different sources: in a meeting shortly before the pandemic, liberals suggest standing out by putting forward constructive solutions. Members of the old guard oppose it. According to them, the opposition serves to oppose, not to propose. They assure that the Legault government will “sink on its own”. They are still waiting.
It is rather the PLQ which never ceases to explore the shallows of the polls.
The party executive decides when the leadership contest will be called. He won’t be in a hurry. The longer he waits, the more time he gives outside candidates to organize themselves. Especially if they see that François Legault is falling in the polls and preparing for his departure.
But first, the party must rebuild itself. Militant life there is weak and the constituency associations are bloodless. The base is fragile, where it exists.
The PLQ is at a crossroads. Unlike the exercise that took place in 2013, the PLQ will not just choose a leader. He will decide his values. of its raison d’etre.
How to reconnect with Francophones while defending liberal values such as minority rights and federalism? Beyond the main principles, it’s a question of tone. I give the example of Régis Labeaume. I know, the former mayor of Quebec is not interested in the position. But at the very least, it shows that a politician can defend the values of inclusion and diversity without losing contact with Francophones, everywhere in Quebec.
Does this rare pearl exist? With the current polls, she will be hard to find. But the longer the PLQ waits, the more it puts the odds on its side.