(Quebec) Former senator André Pratte, who co-chaired the committee on the revival of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), has acquired a taste for political life. The one whom the liberals nickname the “super activist”, but who refuses the label of éminence grise, becomes president of the political commission of the party. His mandate: that his committee’s report not be shelved before the drafting of the Liberals’ next electoral platform.
The role of the political commission is to develop ideas, based on the party’s priorities and current events, then translate them into resolutions which are voted on by members in congress. In the end, the proposals that pass all the stages land in the electoral platform.
In interview with The Press, Mr. Pratte explained on Thursday that he had applied to become president of the political committee when he felt that the members were “absolutely keen that the report leads to something and that it does not fall on a shelf”. The party made his nomination official on Thursday.
The former senator also affirmed that he initially wanted to continue discussions concerning the issues linked to the cost of living and accessibility to housing.
“André is a relatively new activist in the party, but he is someone who has invested a lot and devoted a lot of volunteer hours. He is already becoming a super activist. […] Some may qualify him as an eminence grise, I certainly qualify him today as one of our very involved volunteers,” said the president of the PLQ, Rafaël Primeau-Ferraro.
No question of being a boss
Earlier this month, Mr. Pratte closed the door to running in the race to succeed Dominique Anglade at the head of the PLQ, while activists were calling for him.
“It quickly became clear that I do not have the skills, talents and resilience necessary for such a role,” he said.
In October, he also presented to liberal activists the conclusions of the committee on the relaunch of the PLQ, which he co-chaired with the MP for the Bourassa-Sauvé riding in Montreal, Madwa-Nika Cadet. This report suggests that the party consider the adoption of a Quebec constitution, a law on interculturalism (in opposition to Canadian multiculturalism), to mandate experts to measure Quebec’s reception capacity in immigration and to present “strong measures” to intensify the presence of French at work.