(Saguenay) The leadership of Québec solidaire, which wanted a “pragmatic” shift, breathes easier: the opponents of the Saguenay Declaration rallied and the first amendments distorting it were rejected. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois can already breathe a sigh of relief.
On Sunday morning, there will only be a block of amendments left to be analyzed by the activists meeting in the National Council in Saguenay. They will then vote to adopt the document prepared by the parliamentary wing of the party, which was presented by the male co-spokesperson of Québec solidaire Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois as a first step towards a “pragmatic” turn following of the shock resignation of female co-spokesperson Émilise Lessard-Therrien.
This turn had triggered a revolt. Around forty former candidates, former employees and former MP Catherine Dorion took up their pens to express their fear that the political party would become “a snuffer rather than a catalyst for hope”.
It was also one of the signatories of this letter, the long-time activist André Frappier, who led the charge at the Council. His objection: points from the Saguenay Declaration, the flagship element of the “pragmatic” turn, contradict his program.
The declaration, which comes from a tour of the regions of elected officials and activists, stipulates for example that “Québec solidaire recognizes the central role of the forestry industry in the economic development of several regions of Quebec”.
“We will work together”
It also indicates “that a united government will adopt a strategy for adapting forests to climate change, in collaboration with affected communities and industry”.
The party’s current program instead plans to “place the large forestry industry under public control (majority state participation) by considering, if necessary, complete nationalization.”
Mr. Frappier therefore wanted to use a “point of order” which would have prevented the parliamentary wing from using this declaration as a political tool to transform it into a simple “report”. Following a technical debate, the former interim co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire returned to his maneuver. “We are going to work together,” he said into the microphone, before being warmly applauded.
The amendments calling for the nationalization of housing and the battery sector were largely defeated. “It’s a lot of money,” MP Haroun Bouazzi pleaded on the microphone.
There is also no question of excluding the forestry industry or of crossing out the passage on the importance of “quality jobs linked to the exploitation of natural resources”.
“The industry isn’t just the big guys, it’s the small general contractors who do planting and reforestation,” noted an activist from Charlevoix.
Opposition to a referendum against immigration
The day began with a speech by the party’s two co-spokespeople. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois argued that the “urgency to act” justifying the modernization of Québec solidaire is explained by the need to provide a bulwark to the Parti Québécois, which according to him wants to transform the country project into a “referendum against immigration “.
“We cannot let Paul St-Pierre Plamondon transform this beautiful and great project which is the independence of Quebec into a referendum against immigration,” he said, rousing the activists gathered in the National Council on Saturday in Saguenay .
PHOTO JACQUES BOISSINOT, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois
Mr. Nadeau-Dubois believes that the PQ leader and Prime Minister François Legault are, despite appearances, “in complete agreement”. “Housing, schools, French, public services, whatever the problem, for these two, it’s always the fault of immigration,” he said.
He criticized François Legault, who accepts private health care, and the “good old Liberal Party” which, according to him, is bored with austerity, and which paid tribute to former Prime Minister Philippe Couillard at the end of the week.
These three parties are different, but they want to form the next government in Quebec. If we are here together, it is because we share this conviction that this is not what we want for Quebec.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire
The interim co-spokesperson, Christine Labrie, explained to activists that certain proposals “take us out of our shoes”.
The shadow of Émilise Lessard-Therrien
Despite everything, it is impossible to ignore the context surrounding the holding of this National Council. The party has been shaken by an internal crisis since the resignation of Émilise Lessard-Therrien from her position as female co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire.
PHOTO JACQUES BOISSINOT, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Québec solidaire met as a National Council following the resignation of co-spokesperson Émilise Lessard-Therrien
Saturday morning, Radio-Canada reported the content of a 23-page document where Émilise Lessard-Therrien recounts “at length” the reasons which led to her resignation. She shows, with supporting examples, that Québec solidaire has never recognized its authority as co-spokesperson.
Mme Labrie and Mr. Nadeau-Dubois made an act of contrition. “It’s a collective failure that we failed to support it,” said Christine Labrie. “I regret having failed to prevent his departure. I have my share of responsibility in this departure, and I have another responsibility: that is to learn the right lessons from this departure. We must continue to question ourselves,” said Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.