(Québec) Québec solidaire (QS) no longer has a parity caucus in Parliament and the place given to female candidates during the last elections fuels an important debate within the party. Should members put in place ways to ensure that candidates in “realistically winnable constituencies” are women?
The question is likely to be at the heart of the debates that will occupy the solidarity delegates present this weekend at the National Council of QS in Montreal. The objective of this body is to take stock of the last election campaign, at the end of which the party lost votes compared to 2018, even if it counts on one more deputy in the National Assembly.
In the summary of the proposals that will be put to the vote, that The Press obtained, the secretary general of the party, Nicolas Chatel-Launay, recalls that this “important debate” will have to be decided in two stages. During the National Council, from February 10 to 12, the members will decide whether they set themselves the objective of having female candidates in constituencies where they think they have a chance of winning, in 2026. But on the very precise to achieve this, the “mechanism to adopt” will be voted on in another instance.
In an interview requested by The Pressthe parliamentary leader of the party, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, acknowledged that this was a concern widely expressed by QS bodies.
Manon [Massé] and I, the party leadership, cannot impose candidates. So for the achievement of parity in the caucus, it represents an additional challenge. [Mais] it is a challenge that we are capable of taking up.
The parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois
For now, if his party wins the by-election in the riding of Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne in Montreal, left vacant by the departure of former Liberal leader Dominique Anglade, the parity deficit will widen even further in solidarity caucus. Their candidate, the lawyer Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, was democratically appointed by the members of his constituency, defends Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.
Talking to regions and sovereignty
The members of Québec solidaire are also unhappy with the lack of space given by the party’s electoral team to the question of independence. An amendment to be proposed this weekend “deplores the lack of promotion of the independence project”, while it is also proposed to set up a communication plan “on the national scene” to reiterate that the party is sovereigntist.
For the moment, the roadmap of Québec solidaire proposes to establish a joint “constituent assembly”, “composed of people elected by universal suffrage” and whose mandate would be to draft a Constitution.
This would ultimately be submitted to the population by referendum.
In interview with The Press, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois noted that his party’s electoral platform proposals were often complex and difficult to explain. This observation could also apply to the mechanism proposed to achieve independence.
“The more complex a policy proposal, the easier it is to attack. We saw this during the last election and I think it applies to our entire social project. How we make it simple and accessible for everyone, including voters who are not passionate about public policy,” he said.
A tour of the regions
Among the proposals that will be put to the vote this weekend, Québec solidaire will suggest that its members begin a tour of the regions. In its assessment of the last elections, the party notes that it is unable to reach voters who live in rural areas.
The objective of this National Council is really that we as a party put ourselves in listening mode and that we go out and meet Quebeckers who hesitated to support us the last time, […] particularly those who live outside urban centres.
The parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois
The party also takes stock that “many [leurs] proposals came across as very complex” in their latest election platform. The fact that it was adopted several months before the elections “meant that it was not adapted to the change in economic conditions linked to inflation”.
“Both internally and externally, people have commented on the cerebral nature of our campaign,” says QS. “The bonus-malus on the purchase of polluting vehicles has been used as a scarecrow”, while the proposal for a tax on large fortunes “is probably the one that has received the most attention”.
“The complex nature of the proposal (many people do not know how to calculate their net worth) forced us to put ourselves in educational and explanatory mode and less in offensive and political mode. This proposal was very destabilizing”, notes the party in the balance sheet of the campaign.
And if QS managed to distinguish itself with its proposals on the environment, which would have allowed it to refuel this electorate, he says, “our results clearly show that it is not enough to aspire to govern “.