After a three-day congress, Québec solidaire concluded on Sunday the development of a concise electoral platform. “It’s mission accomplished” less than a year before the 2022 general election, said party co-spokesperson Manon Massé on Sunday.
The opposition party presented itself this weekend as the “alternative” to the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) led by François Legault. From the outset, his co-spokesperson, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, described the pre-electoral congress as an opportunity to “prepare to govern”.
After adopting new climate targets and making the commitment to establish a 35-hour work week, Saturday, party activists voted on Sunday on a multitude of issues related to racism, housing, the voting system and secularism.
Solidarity members, for example, adopted a proposal to raise the voting age to 16 years. The party has also clarified its ambitions in housing by registering on its platform a construction site of 50,000 social housing units. It will also add a commitment to “establish a Commission of Inquiry into Systemic Racism”.
The political committee of the party had set itself the objective of adapting its platform so that it was more “concise” and “concrete” than at the last pre-electoral gathering. Result of the races: the book of proposals submitted before the start of the congress was about twenty pages long and was “much shorter this time”, observed the party’s press secretary, Camila Rodriguez-Cea, in an exchange text messages.
“Our members had clearly asked us that this platform be concrete, that it be short and that it be linked to people’s concerns. Mission accomplished, ”added Manon Massé in her closing remarks to journalists.
The climate in sight
His colleague Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois considers that the militants laid this weekend the foundations of the “best electoral platform of [l’]history ”of the party.
“The pillar of the next Quebec solidaire campaign will be the environment,” he observed to explain the preponderance of climate issues in the party’s speech during its congress.
By adopting greenhouse gas reduction targets of 55% in 2030, compared to 1990, the members “found the balance between ambition and feasibility”, continued the elected representative of Gouin at a conference. hurry.
The activists had torn Saturday, discussing these green objectives. Some have asked the party to go further, setting its minimum thresholds at 65% and imposing more radical amendments.
In the end, the happy medium proposal was adopted by 93%. “Of course, members would have liked us to go further. But I saw a convention of political maturity, ”said Manon Massé.
Gains in sight?
And maturity often rhymes with growth. At the end of the week, QS spokespersons have repeatedly said that it is necessary to take advantage of the economic situation to make “significant gains” in the October 2022 elections.
In an evening full of music and speeches, Saturday, Mme Massé and Mr. Nadeau-Dubois endeavored to broaden their electoral base. “What scares the Prime Minister are three words, thundered the second in a long speech with electoral overtones. Three little words that you will hear me say until the next election: we are capable. “
“Just coming here, you’re sending a message,” M said.me Massed to the militants. It sincerely gives us hope to win other battles. “
Already, the seat left vacant in the constituency of Marie-Victorin is in the sights of the party. Newly elected QS President Alejandra Zaga Mendez sees the by-election as “an important moment to show that [son parti est] the only and real opposition to the CAQ ”.
In this season of political conventions, there are only those of the Liberal Party of Quebec and the Parti Quebecois, next weekend and the weekend respectively.