Québec solidaire (QS) will try to explain the “disappointing” results of the general election to its members next month. But already, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois admits: “when you move away from urban hearts, there are more challenges”.
More than three months after the election, the solidarity co-spokesperson took advantage of the pre-sessional caucus of his deputies to make an express analysis of the results of October 3. After obtaining 16.1% of the vote in 2018, the left-wing party only amassed 15.4% in 2022. If an official report is planned for the QS national council in early February, the time was right. introspection Monday.
“I needed time between the election and then the holiday season first for my family. Second, for political reasons as well. I needed to take stock and then reflect, ”said the elected Gouin during a press conference in Montreal.
‘Big questions for the future’ of QS
At the end of a campaign that he himself describes as “not up to par”, “GND” is asking “big questions for the future” of QS. “How do we address the rural electorate? We are seeing good results in urban centers in the regions. Sherbrooke is an example, the city of Rimouski [aussi]. It is when we move away from these urban hearts that we see that there are more challenges for us, ”he said.
By losing the riding of Rouyn-Noranda–Témiscamingue last fall, QS found itself confined to urban ridings in Montreal, Quebec and Sherbrooke. In the campaign, the solidarity proposals for a tax on the purchase of a new gasoline vehicle and taxes on the “ultra-rich” had been given the nickname “orange taxes” by the chief caquist since postponed to power, François Legault. After the election, MPs agreed that the measure had been poorly communicated.
“We know that the youth of Quebec support us a lot,” added Mr. Nadeau-Dubois on Monday. But we must build bridges to other generations. How do we do that ? »
Mr. Nadeau-Dubois remains “optimistic” for the future. QS’s foundations are “solid”, he said on Monday. “Our fight for the environment remains topical. We need a political force in Quebec that will be the tip of the arrow on climate issues, environmental issues. That is a fundamental on which we can build. Our support among young people, our militant strength…”
In the months preceding the campaign, the united national executive had tried to present voters with a refocused version of the party. A few weeks before the National Council on February 11 and 12 – and therefore a frontal discussion with its members – GND is aware that there will be “debates”. “We are in Quebec solidaire. There will be debates, that’s for sure. But there is a basis of unity that is still strong with us,” he said.