Who let the elephant into the china shop? We never got an answer to this crucial question. Nor to this other, more appropriate to our political environment: who decided that all customers wanted porcelain? Let me explain. The CAQ, the PLQ, QS and the PQ have taken almost identical positions on certain key issues, leaving a gaping space for a new player, Éric Duhaime, who therefore has considerable room for growth ahead of him. How ?
oil from here It is normal that the solidarity, then the PQ, very fond of the environment, led the battle for the prohibition of the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in Quebec. But that the caquistes, who fuel the growth of GDP, and the Liberals, champions of entrepreneurs, do the same, it is a bizarre alignment of the political stars. This unanimity of the parties on this subject in no way reflects the diversity of opinions of the electorate.
Eric Duhaime’s position is to pump our own oil rather than import it from afar. It turns out that 52% of voters agree with him for oil, 57% for gas, according to an Ipsos poll conducted last March. This was an increase of 9 points over the previous year. Other opinion polls give divergent results, depending on how the question is asked. One certainty: the number of political orphans in Quebec on this subject is considerable. The rise in oil prices, the needs of Europe, the buy-at-home campaigns — all conspire to make voters more receptive to this discourse.
The Conservative program promises that the spurting of hydrocarbons will only take place here if there is local (undefined) social acceptability, including with the Aboriginal peoples. Good luck. It is reasonable to think that no project on Quebec territory is profitable and/or acceptable (although, for GNL, the score in Saguenay last year was: 43% for and 31% against). In any case, it would be a lot of trouble, hence the caquiste and liberal tactical withdrawals. But that makes no difference to the difference for the electoral campaign and for the advantage conferred on Duhaime, who remains alone on this ground.
Moreover, he has not yet made the most of it, having become entangled in the question of the greenhouse gases that would be generated by our drilling here. He just has to sing the new refrain of the oil industry and the Trudeau government, on carbon neutral extraction. Yes, they say that. Carbon-neutral oil wells are like a non-alcoholic whiskey factory. If no employee consumes during working hours, that’s it. Not their fault if customers then use the product and damage their liver or the planet!
Private health There are more than 60% of Quebecers in favor of more private health care. Provided, in almost all cases, that access remains universal – therefore with the ex-sun card. They are even 70% to think, on this condition, that we should let the private sector manage certain hospitals. This debate is a veritable swamp. The private sector is already very present in Quebec health (scandalously). Liberals and Caquistes propose to increase the presence, PQ and solidarity to reduce it.
Only Duhaime embodies a determined desire to weaken the public sector and open wide the doors of the private sector, including by allowing the wealthiest to take out private insurance to have access to completely private services, encouraged by the conservative state. . I am one of those who think that adding 10% profit to each medical procedure cannot be the solution, but faced with a public system that is out of breath, the mirage of the private sector is attractive and Duhaime is its real bearer.
A third salable link We can think that the third link is a whim. No study demonstrates the need for it. But Duhaime’s proposal to abandon the pharaonic work of tunnels under the river and simply pass on the island of Orleans and then take the bridge that must be rebuilt hits the bull’s eye. The inhabitants of the island, enraged, will say no. How many are they ? 7000! Is the site heritage? The Minister of Culture of the Duhaime government (Anne Casabonne?) will blow up this status. Duhaime promises in exchange to bury the Hydro high voltage line which disfigures the island. Oh yes ? That he put his three (sufficient) lanes in a covered trench, the cheapest option, and that he use the heat to supply, above, a row of greenhouses which will offer us strawberries from the island twelve months the year.
stand out The promises of tax cuts and taxes are so numerous that voters no longer know where to turn. In this jumble, Éric Duhaime can make himself heard by promising the abolition of taxes on gasoline and the carbon tax, immediately understandable – even if ecologically indefensible. He also has a trump card to please his motorist voters: raise the speed limit on the highways to 120 km/h! It costs nothing. It hardly changes anything. But it makes you happy!
For the most part, the Duhaime 2022 picks up the themes of Mario Dumont’s ADQ from 15 years ago. The party was swallowed up in the meantime by the CAQ, which however dropped all its radical proposals, which were once again available. There is an electoral market for these ideas. Dumont won 31% of the vote and elected 41 deputies. During the election night, his party was even ahead, touching power, for about twenty minutes. On October 3, I’m sure, Eric Duhaime would be content
15 minutes.
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