From Ariane Moffatt to Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, several well-known artists have expressed their support for Valérie Plante in the last few days as the municipal elections on November 7 approach. If the mayoress of Montreal welcomes this support on social networks, the reach of celebrities in election campaigns continues to be debated. While many doubt that this support materializes in votes, others perceive it as an example of good thinking that could harm a candidate rather than help him.
One thing is certain, Dany Turcotte is not of this opinion. The former fool of the king of Everybody talks about it says he did not hesitate a second before calling of his own accord to vote for Valérie Plante, praising his vision for Montreal in relation to a “Denis of the past who is trying to adapt”.
A simple, direct message, far from the bombast of the famous declaration of independence for Quebec written by Gilles Vigneault and Marie Laberge in the middle of the 1995 referendum campaign to call on voters to vote yes. But the fact remains that Dany Turcotte hopes that its publication can give a little boost to Valérie Plante in this extremely tight race where all the polls place the two main candidates for town hall neck and neck.
“The problem with Valérie Plante is that her electorate is very young, and we know that young people tend to vote less. So I thought to myself that by showing myself, I might be influencing a few people to go. It’s clear that if we do that, it’s because we think we can have influence. Otherwise, we wouldn’t do it, ”explains the one who prides himself on reaching around 400,000 people on social networks.
Other personalities did the same during the week, in particular the actresses Ève Landry and Jessica Barker, the filmmaker Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, or the singer Ariane Moffatt. Conversely, very few artists have spoken publicly in favor of Denis Coderre.
“I don’t think it hurts Denis Coderre, because anyway, what he’s looking for is more support from athletes. He wants to present himself as the candidate of sport, of major events, not so much of culture. But for Valérie Plante, who fears looking like a too hard and isolated woman, it is relatively important for her image. Ariane Moffatt, for example, is a strong and go-getter woman, and this is exactly the image that Mme Plante wants to send back ”, analyzes Danielle Pilette, expert in municipal politics and professor at UQAM.
In unison
Do artists still recognize themselves more in Denis Coderre? No doubt, but will they dare to display their colors by the end of the campaign?
Traditionally, in Quebec, artists who agreed to get wet in federal or provincial elections were on the same wavelength. Long associated with the PQ and the Bloc Québécois, today more and more of them prefer Québec solidaire or the NDP. Few, however, diverge.
During the last electoral campaign in Quebec, Chloé Sainte-Marie was almost the only one to have publicly revealed support for the CAQ, which nevertheless formed a majority government after the election. And again, it was essentially for the widow of Gilles Carle a support for the person of Marguerite Blais and her project of “seniors’ houses”.
In France, the entertainment industry is much less of a monolithic block, whatever some right-wing thinkers may say who regularly denounce a left-wing doxa in the cultural milieu. Charles Aznavour, Gérard Depardieu, Françoise Hardy, Johnny Hallyday or even Jean Reno: many great popular stars have at one time or another supported the right-wing candidate for the presidency of the Republic.
“I think we have a better understanding of the right in France. In Quebec, it is seen as something pejorative. People are not going to position themselves with a label that is not very popular in the public space. Yes, there is a phenomenon of good thinking in this. There is this idea of wanting to position oneself on the left to show that one belongs to the clan of good, ”believes political scientist Catherine Côté, a professor at the University of Sherbrooke who has studied the weight of the right in the Quebec media.
Comedian Pierre Gendron says he has already been a victim of this famous “well-meaning”, he who is one of the only artists in Quebec to have never hidden his attachment to Canadian federalism. The one who played Pierre Elliott Trudeau in the series Rein even lent its voice to the advertisements of the federal Liberal Party, then led by Stéphane Dion, in 2008.
“It was not a very good move in my career. From there to saying that I didn’t have a role because of that, I don’t know. But I have had comments. Especially people my age who actively participated in the referendums for the Yes. But among the youngest, I do not feel that it is an issue, ”says the actor, who knows not to be the only liberal in the artistic colony.
The same phenomenon is observed south of the border, where All-Hollywood lines up behind the Democratic candidate in each presidential election.
Under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, music and film stars have become ubiquitous, which ended up posing a problem for the Democratic Party, thinks Donald Cuccioletta, an expert on American politics.
“It reinforced the idea that it was the party of the elites. But we felt during the campaign last year that Joe Biden gave much less space to Hollywood during the rallies. It was obviously a desire to “reconnect” with the white working classes, which had escaped the Democrats in 2016 ”, notes Mr. Cuccioletta, stressing that celebrities can be a double-edged sword for any candidate.