Manon Massé announces that she will soon bow out as female spokesperson for Québec solidaire. Fortunately for the voters of Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques, she nevertheless remained their fiery MP.
At Lafontaine Park, moved and flanked by her co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and former MP Françoise David, she called on the progressive female generation to succeed her as co-spokesperson.
This call is not fortuitous. Since the election of October 3, QS has experienced a certain loss of breath. At 11 elected, his harvest was disappointing. For a party whose ambition was to squeeze the Liberals into the official opposition, that is understandable.
In March, the victory of star candidate Guillaume Cliche-Rivard in the by-election in Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne reassured those in solidarity. Seeing the Parti Québécois and its mini-caucus of three elected officials continue to rise in the polls, however, concern has returned.
Hence, in part, this new chapter that QS hopes to open by renewing half of its co-spokesperson duo. However, the upcoming loss of Manon Massé in this crucial position, which she has held for six years, is not to be taken lightly.
A real woman
Member of Parliament since 2014, Mme Massé is first of all one of the main pillars of QS. This woman of heart and head is a humanist. A real. In all things, the word “authentic” fits him like a glove.
With brio and humility, she even knew how to show that a woman can exist and shine in the public space without personal fortune, high heels, Chanel suits, make-up, dyed hair or botox.
Because she is true in everything, she has won the respect of many Quebecers. Whether left, right or centre.
Manon Massé says that to wear the two hats of co-spokesperson and deputy, “it’s not pie”. And we believe her. The fact remains that she embodies what is best in active politics.
His progressiveness is deep and sincere. His intelligence is sharp. His humor is natural. His ability to know how to “connect” with citizens, all citizens, is exceptional.
many fights
Among her many battles, those she leads against renovictions and for, in fact, all the great forgotten political decision-makers command respect.
Which explains why, on the political and personal level, to use her own expression, she and GND form a “duo from hell”.
At the PQ, however, the duo leaves behind very bad memories. In 2017, the convergence project abruptly aborted by QS had done very badly.
It remains to be seen whether, faced with a PQ now on the rise, the renewal desired by QS by the possible arrival of a new female co-spokesperson will succeed or not in restoring its tone.
The only certainty is that for the next three years, if it wants to try to impose itself as the “real” opposition to the CAQ, the party of Françoise David and Amir Khadir will have a lot of work to do.
Not to mention that at the CAQ convention, François Legault was pleased to dethrone Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois in favor of PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, whom he in turn crowned as his new main opponent.
That said, the reality for QS is that in her role as co-spokesperson, Manon Massé is a political figure who promises to be very difficult to replace.