Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and Charles III
We can say of the new leader of the Parti Québécois that he is faithful to his principles. No question for Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and the two other elected members of his party to take an oath to King Charles III, THE condition to be able to enter the National Assembly. PSPP never gave in, instead putting pressure on other parties to cut that link with the monarchy. On December 9, in less than 15 minutes, this major irritant was finally resolved. Adopted unanimously, Minister Jean-François Roberge’s Bill 4 therefore makes the oath to the British sovereign optional. The deputies will now be able to take an oath to the people of Quebec, which the three PQ deputies undertake to do, who will finally be welcomed by their colleagues in the Salon Bleu on January 31.
Nathalie Collard
Dominique Anglade and Marie-Claude Nichols
Oh, these parties of family who turn to the rat race! Over the years, the Parti Québécois had accustomed us to quarrels in the public square. But this year, it was the liberal family that tore itself apart for a rather banal reason. The former leader, Dominique Anglade, offered deputy Frantz Benjamin the post of 3e vice-president of the National Assembly, reserved for the official opposition, which angered the deputy Marie-Claude Nichols who wanted this post, and nothing else. The party kicked her out of caucus…before going out of their way to convince her to come back. This leadership crisis pushed Mr.me Anglade to resign, without Mme Nichols rejoins the ranks. A lose-lose outcome. After its historic binge in the last election, expect a long headache for the PLQ.
Stephanie Grammond
Luis Miranda and Hocine Ouendi
If you doubt the meaning of the word “condescension”, go watch the video in which the mayor of the borough of Anjou, Luis Miranda, responds to Hocine Ouendi. You will understand. This 16-year-old young man politely came to ask the mayor to reopen the soccer fields in his neighborhood during a city council meeting. “At 15, I don’t even have a business to talk to him about,” the mayor said abruptly, saying it was the young man’s parents who should have spoken to him. This deplorable reaction was the subject of a reprimand by the municipal council and a complaint to the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse. Not strong.
Philip Mercury
Simon Jolin-Barrette and Lucie Rondeau
We cannot say that their relationship has warmed up in 2022. The Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Quebec are still at loggerheads over almost everything: number of judges to be hired, number of days judges should sit, bilingualism… The only way out of this unhealthy situation that helps absolutely no one, especially not our judicial system which is approaching the breaking point? The possible retirement of Judge Rondeau in October 2023. Until then, unless there is a miracle, we do not see how we will reconcile these two strong heads. We would send them before a judge for mediation, but they are overwhelmed…
Nathalie Collard
Justin Trudeau and Xi Jinping
No formal meeting between Justin Trudeau and Xi Jinping had been scheduled at the G20 summit in Indonesia last November. And when the two men talked informally…it didn’t go over very well. The Canadian Prime Minister would have first evoked the interference of Beijing in the Canadian elections. Then, the next day, he was arrested by the Chinese president, who reproached him. “Everything we talked about leaked to the media, and that is not appropriate,” said Xi Jinping, before Justin Trudeau took up the defense of “free, open and frank dialogue”. The differences between our two countries are now obvious. And they probably won’t subside anytime soon, so don’t plan any official meeting between the two politicians in the near term.
Alexandre Sirois
Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis
Donald Trump may not have a happy holiday this year. Polls released in December indicate that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is currently more popular than him among Republican contenders for the White House, among party voters. Oh, it’s way too early for predictions! But these polls could certainly make Ron DeSantis want to jump into the arena. As for Donald Trump, his campaign launch last November was attacked and denigrated. And since then, he has multiplied the missteps. The unveiling with great fanfare of a series of digital maps in mid-December was laughable. So much so that even among the Republicans, many do not give much of their skin. But that’s exactly what happened six years ago… before he finally took over the White House!
Alexandre Sirois