The leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ), Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, estimates that the voting system caused him to lose 15 seats. He denounces an “injustice” and demands the status of a recognized parliamentary group in the National Assembly.
In the aftermath of a historic defeat – the PQ lost seven seats on Monday, in addition to obtaining 88,000 votes less than in 2018 – Paul St-Pierre Plamondon deplored the effects of the Quebec voting system. ” We [devrait avoir] 18 seats this morning,” he said.
The PQ leader uses the percentage of votes to make this calculation. According to a multi-member proportional voting system, the PQ would have effectively elected 18 deputies thanks to its 600,000 votes, or 14.6% of the vote.
However, the reform of the voting system proposed — then abandoned — by François Legault took the form of a mixed proportional voting system instead. According to this model, the PQ team would have won ten seats instead.
“Curiously, we end up with more votes by universal suffrage than the official opposition,” noted Paul St-Pierre Plamondon from a hotel in Boucherville on Tuesday morning. “The disproportion between the popular vote and the number of seats is historic and it is very problematic for democracy in Quebec. »
The Liberal Party of Quebec elected 21 deputies on Monday, although it ranks fourth in the percentage of votes. Because of its renewed official opposition status, Dominique Anglade’s political party will have more budgets and more speaking time than the other parties that form the opposition.
The PQ’s status as an opposition group is in danger: in theory, you must have elected at least 12 deputies or obtained at least 20% of the votes to claim it. It could therefore have lower research budgets, in addition to having reduced speaking time during question period in the Blue Room and during parliamentary committees.
“Already there is an injustice in the number of deputies, are we going to make the injustice worse by not allowing the Parti Québécois to have an operating budget? asked Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon on Tuesday. He spoke directly to the other party leaders and asked them to work together to obtain a “fair space”.
During the afternoon, the re-elected Prime Minister, François Legault, said he was “open to recognizing” Québec solidaire and the Parti québécois as parliamentary groups, even if they do not meet the criteria set by the National Assembly. .
Fusion, more fusion
Asked about the share of the vote given to openly independentist parties – just 30% -, “PSPP” claims not to change its game plan. “The feedback is very positive,” he said. Donations did not stop flowing during the campaign, he noted.
“I will not apologize for being a separatist. »
To those who hope for a merger or an alliance with Québec solidaire, the PQ leader opposes a categorical refusal. “Let us also remember how we were treated in 2018. Our activists have not forgotten it,” said Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon in reference to the decision of Quebec solidaire to reject a bipartite agreement at the time.
“It’s absurd,” he continued. It is not the same party on, in particular, the question of French. »