Québec solidaire activists gathered in Montreal on Saturday spoke in favor of a regional tour to better understand voters who are reluctant to vote for them.
Nearly 300 Québec solidaire delegates are meeting in Montreal this weekend to take stock of the last election campaign and define a vision for the future as part of the National Council meeting at Ahuntsic College in Montreal.
In one of the first decisions of the day, activists voted to favor female candidates, even providing for the possibility of “imposing” them in certain constituencies. But the key decision of the day was to launch a campaign in the regions of Quebec to “uncap” them, in the words of party co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
“We still have a lot of work to do to become the political house of all Quebecers,” he acknowledged at the start of the day on Saturday in front of the assembled activists.
We have to get into listening mode, we have to get into regions mode, this is the major project to which we invite you this weekend.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire
Before starting the debate, the delegates were invited to observe a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the tragedy in Laval last Wednesday and as a sign of support for those affected.
A difficult record
Québec solidaire dreamed of forming the official opposition in the National Assembly, but only elected 11 members on October 3.
Losses were particularly difficult in constituencies far from major centers, said Julie Dionne, national election manager, in the morning. In all, Solidarity lost 1 percentage point of votes or more in 45 rural or suburban constituencies on October 3 last.
The intergenerational gap has also not been reduced by the left formation. In the polls, 35% of young people planned to vote for Québec solidaire on October 3, recalled Ms.me Dionne, compared to 7% among those aged 55 and over.
“Of course it would be easy and tempting to blame the organizers, the [médias]or on Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois or on Manon Massé, but that would be simplistic”, declared the co-founder of the party Amir Khadir on the sidelines of the Council.
In his view, the pandemic and the decrease in social mobilization during this period partly explain the party’s results in the last elections.
Among the solutions considered, the delegates voted on Saturday for the deputies of Quebec solidaire to tour the regions of Quebec.
Regions and parity
An exercise that will not be just a “visibility and communication tour, but a consultation tour,” promised Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois
The members gave us a strong mandate, a clear mandate to hit the roads of Quebec, starting in the coming months, to meet all those Quebeckers who are interested in QS, but who, for some reason or another, have hesitated to place their trust in us.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire
Another subject of tension within the party: the lack of parity in the caucus. At the moment, 7 out of 11 solidarity deputies are men.
QS activists therefore also voted on Saturday to find concrete ways to support women, in particular by allowing the imposition of female candidates in certain constituencies by a “national body”.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
On the agenda: the results of the last election campaign, the question of gender parity within the party, that of the complexity of the proposals and the orientations to come
“I’m really super happy with that, because it’s a challenge, and the members told us: we have to take this reality head on,” said party co-spokesperson Manon Massé. at a press conference. We have to give ourselves the means. We have to think together […] so that the caucus of Québec solidaire is equal. »
The question of the complexity of the measures proposed by Québec solidaire during the last elections, which would have harmed their popularity, was also at the heart of the reflections on Saturday.
In assembly, the delegates of Québec solidaire voted for the development of an electoral platform “more concise and better adaptable, both to the situation and to the realities of each region”.
“The file is closed” concerning Haroun Bouazzi
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Solidarity MP Haroun Bouazzi
The deputy in solidarity with the constituency of Maurice-Richard Haroun Bouazzi has been targeted in the last few days by allegations of irregularities concerning his nomination process more than a year ago. Quebecor newspapers reported on Friday that party members accused Bouazzi of paying members for cards to get more votes at the nomination meeting, breaking the law. “We listened to these members about a year ago, when the events occurred, underlined Mr. Nadeau-Dubois in a press scrum. The due diligence was carried out under the supervision of a lawyer, to ensure that everything was done according to the rules of the art, that all Quebec electoral laws were respected. We have the assurance of it, therefore for us, this file is closed. »