Despite some disagreements, Buddhists and Hindus agree on the existence of karma. According to this natural law, beings would always end up being overtaken by their actions made in a previous life.
For Éric Caire, the boomerang starts less far. If La Peltrie voters are calling for his resignation, it is because of his now famous promise made in 2018 to resign if the third Quebec-Lévis link for cars does not materialize. And if his adversaries revel in the spectacle, it is because Mr. Caire was the most ruthless deputy in the opposition. At the slightest appearance of a small ethical fault, he bit until the blood.
In opposition, Mr. Caire wanted to create a mechanism for “calling back” MPs – if an elected official betrays his constituents, a vote on his impeachment is held after enough signatures have been collected, from the second year of office. a mandate.
Still, Mr. Cairo doesn’t deserve to be the center of attention since the third link was dropped. This decision is not his. He wasn’t even told about it before the leak to the media. His main fault: having believed what his boss said.
He is not the only one. In 2022, all CAQ candidates in the region have sworn on this CAQ bible.
But the karma catching up with Mr. Cairo suits everyone.
For François Legault, it is a precious lightning rod.
In politics, the rule is to protect the leader by removing him from controversy. Admittedly, the prime minister recalled Tuesday that it was his decision, but he still let Mr. Cairo take the wrath of voters before speaking.
If we look at the past statements of the deputies, this should also apply to Mr. Legault.
On Tuesday, he said he waived the road tunnel on April 5 after seeing the new ridership data. However, at the end of March, many were already predicting the death of the project1. And as my colleague Tommy Chouinard has reported, the Prime Minister himself suddenly refused to take back his promise2. However, during the election campaign, he was categorical: the project would be done, regardless of the cost, and regardless of the content of the studies.
For Éric Duhaime too, Mr. Caire is a useful culprit.
Since he led the Conservative Party, Mr. Duhaime gave the impression of wanting to recruit any elected official to be represented in the National Assembly. So much so that when Marie-Louise Tardif was withdrawn from the CAQ caucus because of allegations of threats made against an ex-employee, we said to ourselves: here is a person who will interest the conservatives…
Mr. Duhaime wants to correct this image by refusing to welcome Mr. Cairo. The Conservative leader, however, did it a little too late – the MP had already assured that he would stay at the CAQ. But this theater was nevertheless beneficial for Mr. Duhaime. He was trying to discredit one of the best known faces of the right in Quebec. One way to push the CAQ towards the center in order to better stand out.
The internal crisis that is shaking the CAQ helps to understand who decides there, and how.
Mr. Legault is less obsessed with delivering on his promises than is claimed. When some are too heavy, he does not hesitate to drop them. The argument then adapts according to the circumstances.
For the reform of the voting system, he said to listen to the people who would not want it. This idea only excites “intellectuals”, he justified. For the third road link, it is the opposite.
At the beginning, Mr. Legault said he listened to the citizens of the South Shore. He was unaware of the unanimous observation of the experts: the problem of congestion is not sufficiently documented and if it exists, the solution would not solve it in the long term, in addition to being technically complicated to achieve and very likely to be ruinous.
The Legault government has just seen the light. He suddenly resumes the objectives of town planners and other intellectuals he ignored. He even says he wants to curb urban sprawl and solo driving and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by focusing on public transit.
This time, the so-called “real world” lost.
As usual, the decision came from the top of the pyramid. Mr. Legault cuts with his close guard. The rest of the team hears the news later. She is relegated to the role of communications officer, and this is starting to cause friction internally.
The CAQ still dominates in the polls, and its popularity cements the troops. But with its 89 MPs, that advantage comes with a downside. Many have the impression of being ignored and of not having received the deserved promotion.
Caucus management is crucial for a leader. It was the strength of Jean Charest and the weakness of Philippe Couillard. Mr. Legault has had his ups and downs.
During the pandemic, many MPs felt left out. Mr. Legault corrected the situation, and everyone benefited from it. The members of his team were the best informants to feel the pulse of the population.
With the third link, it’s more complicated. The return of real common sense collides head-on with the dreams Mr. Legault sowed. For some, waking up tastes like metal.
When Éric Caire receives more than his share of tomatoes, he shouldn’t be too displeased. But the more MPs are criticized for decisions they did not make and do not understand, the more the cement of power threatens to crack internally. And for these cracks in the ground, lightning rods lose their usefulness.
1. I wrote this column on the rumor of the death of the third link, but other observers had spoken about it before me.