Buried alive | The Press

It is not a good sign when a party says it is being treated unfairly.

This is what happened this week with the two old parties.

The leader of the Liberal Party, Dominique Anglade, regrets that she is not judged in the same way because she is a woman. And the president of the Parti Québécois deplores the low media visibility given to his training.

You have to qualify. An opposition party has some control over its fate. For example, the solidarity Amir Khadir had succeeded in attracting attention in 2010 thanks to his investigative work on political financing nominees.

But it is true that little is said about the ideas of the Liberals and the PQ. More time is spent trying to predict the date of their collapse. This creates a vicious circle. Painting them as losers reinforces that impression.

I do not believe that their difficulties stem from this phenomenon. The disaffection with the Liberals and the PQ stems from deeper causes. I only notice that our way of speaking about them accentuates this tendency.

Added to this is the effect of the pandemic: Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and Dominique Anglade were elected during the pandemic, which deprived them of valuable visibility.

So I took advantage of the outings of the PQ and the PLQ to interview their leaders.

Interview with Dominique Anglade

Dominique Anglade insists, she does not want to pose as a “victim”. “I don’t like that word at all. I do not use. It’s not in my personality. »

She simply “notes” that women are not judged in the same way as men. She gives the example of Pauline Marois. “If she criticized the government, she was considered too aggressive. This is rarely said of a man. When François Legault was in opposition, did we call him complaining? »

She compares this to the caquiste Éric Caire. In the opposition, he was nicknamed “the sheriff of La Peltrie” because of his incisive questions, bordering on bad faith. “We didn’t say he was crying. Sheriff, that was almost a positive term. »

In general, M.^me Anglade is right: women on the whole experience biased treatment. But in his particular case, the example of chialage is not the best. The proof, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois cash the same attack.

I already wrote that under M^me Anglade, the Liberals were still looking for their identity.

In one sentence, what is the PLQ for? What does it offer that is different from other parties?

“We are first and foremost a party for economic development,” she replies, before talking about decentralizing power to the regions – she is presenting her draft Charter of the Regions this Thursday.

It connects with the environment. “We are the only ones who want to use economic development to fight against global warming. For example, I come back from the Pontiac [une circonscription en Outaouais]. This is the region of Quebec where there is the most sunshine. It is an extraordinary potential that they can develop. »

But isn’t a plan to electrify the economy what the CAQ is proposing? M^me Anglade judges that the government’s plan does not go far enough.

She adds that the PLQ is also distinguished by its defense of individual freedoms and its enthusiastic federalism. “Of course, respect for skills is important. But we also want to maintain constructive ties with the rest of Canada. We are the only ones who want it. »

What would a National Assembly look like without a Liberal Party? M^me Anglade does not like the question. She reformulates it. “What would it look like with twice as many Liberal MPs? We wouldn’t make aberrations like a third Quebec-Lévis link that isn’t based on studies and science. We would do development that takes into account the fight against climate change. »

But this position is well known, without the Liberals standing out in the polls. Does the Cartesian leader succeed in “connecting” with the electorate? “Because of the pandemic, I was unable to meet people in the field as much as I would have liked,” she regrets. When they see me, they tell me: “You are nice, we did not imagine you like that on television.” This is because they hear short snippets of reviews. But I hope to have the chance to show something else in the election campaign. »

Interview with Paul St-Pierre Plamondon

The Parti Québécois says it occupied only 7% of the media space in the four French-language television channels between May and November 2021. The result of the others: 9% for QS, 12% for the PLQ and 71% for the CAQ.

I could not validate the methodology behind these figures, which come from a study commissioned from Influence Communication.

The opposition has undeniably lost visibility during the pandemic. She did not take advantage of long press conferences broadcast live to large audiences.

However, it is necessary to qualify. In the National Assembly, the press does not want a one-way race. It therefore seeks to bring to the fore the debate between the government and its adversaries. Moreover, it is normal that the party in power receives more attention. After all, he rules.

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon understands this, but he still finds the context ungrateful. “I did not come to politics to talk about the pandemic! At a press conference, I sometimes answered journalists: “What do you want me to tell you?” The government does not consult us, it does not share information with us, and we are asked to react to news while we learn it. »

This is a hostile environment for a young chef trying to make himself known.

Added to this is the funeral speech about the PQ.

Since 2012, the party has indeed lost votes in each election campaign. Still, in commenting on this decline, we are not talking about the party’s proposals. As if politics were a sport and its only interest was post-game drivel.

Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon does not want to denounce this treatment. “Let’s be clear, I’m not complaining,” he insists. Rather, he wants to formulate a wish for our democracy: “That each party has the chance to make its ideas heard and to make its candidates known, to then be judged on its merits. »

What is the PQ for today? “We are the only independence party, and also the only one to firmly defend our language,” he replies.

But Québec solidaire also claims to be independentist. “A significant proportion of their electorate is federalist. We saw it during the by-election in Marie-Victorin: they first campaigned on the left against the right. »

What would a National Assembly look like without PQ members?

“Without us, there would be no one to remind us that the reform of Bill 101 is insufficient and that it must apply to CEGEPs. »

Is the PQ more to the left, or does it combine left and right? “A social democratic component has always been present in our country. We have concrete proposals for child care, home care and seniors, and also the environment. But we are distinguished by rigor. Our proposals are concrete and quantified”, he maintains.

I point out to him that the other parties claim the same thing. Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon praises his bill tabled last year for a portion of the Generations Fund to finance the requalification of workers who will lose their jobs because of the energy transition.

“If Quebec wants its language and culture to remain viable, it cannot stay in Canada. It must become a country. »