The members of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) are holding their first convention this weekend since the election of Eric Duhaime at the head of the political formation.
About 900 participants are expected at the virtual event to debate around forty proposals to build a program for the October 2022 elections. It will notably be a question of health, the environment, immigration, education. and family.
The congress is intended to be an opportunity to be more representative of the current face of the party which says it has seen its number of members increase by several thousand people.
“It’s important that these people have a say in party policies. We are starting a bit from scratch, ”explained Mr. Duhaime to The Canadian Press.
He recognizes that the growth of the PCQ rests on its opposition to sanitary measures. “A protest movement against the vaccine passport, that does not make a political party,” he says, however. We must adopt clear policies on all the issues facing Quebecers. “
According to Mr. Duhaime, health will be the central theme of the congress, but also of the next electoral campaign since the system has demonstrated its “ineffectiveness” during the pandemic. The party proposes to encourage the contribution of the private sector to allow competition.
“We are a party that does not believe in the benefits of monopolies. We think that competition is going to be healthy for patients and the people who work within the system, ”argues Mr. Duhaime.
Decentralization of the system is also part of the PCQ’s proposals. He wishes to delegate powers at the local level, as well as to the municipalities, so that “decisions are taken as close to the patient as possible”.
In terms of the environment, the party suggests in particular relaunching the exploitation of shale gas provided that social acceptability is present and that air and water pollution are minimized.
For Mr. Duhaime, it would be “less damaging” to the environment and “more logical” for Quebec to exploit its own resources rather than import them in order to strengthen its autonomy, during the energy transition of the coming decades.
“Is it better to continue to import these resources from outside legislation which is less respectful of the environment, to transport this over thousands of kilometers, which causes a loss of energy? 15%, 20%, 30%? Or if it wouldn’t be better to dig and find the resource that lies beneath our feet? […] Our position from an environmental point of view is to take the resources closest to where they are found, ”says Mr. Duhaime.
Name change
The party could also change its name slightly at the end of the congress. In the proposal book, it is suggested that the party be called “Conservative Party of Quebec – Éric Duhaime Team”.
The English version “Conservative Party of Quebec” would thus be removed from the official name of the party, mentions Mr. Duhaime, to mark the turn to nationalism under his leadership.
“I think it is important that the name of the party is in the official language of Quebec,” he maintains.
The change is also intended to differentiate themselves from their federal counterparts with whom they have no formal ties, although they share certain values, says Duhaime, who plans to start recruiting candidates early in the year. next.