On October 3, the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) suffered the worst defeat in its history. Its 21 MPs and 14% of the vote conceal the fact that in most ridings in the province, Liberal candidates received fewer votes than the percentage required to have their expenses reimbursed.
It is important for Quebec democracy that a vigorous liberal movement survive here. This is why the leader, elected officials and Liberal activists have a duty to relaunch the party on the basis of solid values and principles, adapted to the requirements of a modern Quebec. This will not happen if the training dispenses with an authentic reflection on what, nowadays, makes the relevance of this political training.
Admittedly, Dominique Anglade, his entourage and the caucus can determine the strategy of the official opposition for the coming months. But, without a collective discussion in which each member will have had the opportunity to participate, the QLP unfortunately risks confirming the accusation of “intellectual vacuity” recently launched by columnist Michel David.
In fact, there has not been any serious reflection on liberal values since the book written by Claude Ryan 20 years ago. On the occasion of the publication of this work, the leader of the PLQ at the time, Jean Charest, wrote: “Only the Liberal Party of Quebec addresses the questions of our time with resolute confidence. […] Strengthened by this trust, questioning and calling into question are neither threats nor sacrileges to us. They are passages to progress. They allow the Quebec Liberal Party to evolve in harmony with the concerns and interests of Quebecers. »
This is precisely what is at stake today: the QLP must evolve, without moving away from the values that are its raison d’être. It is in this sense, I believe, that Mr.me Anglade declared this week that “the Liberal Party of Quebec must once again become the crossroads between the great ideas of today and tomorrow”.
How to do ? I suggest holding a general consultation of the members. It is not a question of doing the autopsy of the defeat or of discussing the leadership of the party. Two specific questions would be asked:
What are the values and principles on which the action of the Quebec Liberal Party should be based in this third decade out of 21?e century ?
And how to carry out, on the basis of these values, a political action likely to reach a greater part of the Quebec electorate?
Time is already running out towards the 2026 election; this consultation, however vast it may be, must be effective. I am thinking of an exercise that would take a few months at most.
For the initiative to be successful, it is essential that the activists met feel confident. For this, some conditions are required. In particular, the meetings must be held in private, away from the media, and the consultation must be conducted by people in whom the militants have complete confidence, either deputies or respected members of the formation.
The consultation report should be published and discussed at the next party congress. Many would surely prefer that the document remain confidential, but the precaution is futile: a leak is inevitable and the report will become public one way or another.
This exercise would have the concomitant advantage of mobilizing the base of the PLQ, which is in shock at the volley that its candidates have just received. Some of the organizational problems mentioned by Mme Anglade since the election is no doubt attributable to the apathy of activists, who have felt too little involved in recent years. We must shake off this disillusionment, both for partisan reasons — the PLQ will have great need of its volunteers in 2026 — and for political reasons: liberalism will not be maintained in the province without the active and determined involvement of Quebecers who believe in these values.