The current provincial election campaign highlights the progressive deframing of the current political spectrum towards an increasingly uninhibited socialism. The fact that Éric Duhaime and his Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) are seen as the elephants in the room by the politicians of 2022 inevitably leads us to ask ourselves the following question: “When did the pendulum get stuck on the left side of the Quebec ideological metronome? »
While it is true that Éric Duhaime has taken full advantage of the health restrictions to mobilize and solidify his support, it must be admitted that his party conveys ideas which, until very recently, were ignored by most political formations in the current board. Against the backdrop of the shameless unanimity shared by the four other parties, Éric Duhaime is the work of a real black sheep, putting forward ideas rejected by the old parties. Oil exploitation, the advent of healthy competition between the private and public health sectors and significant tax relief are some of the predominant proposals which, obviously, clash considerably with the prevailing discourse.
There was a time when the outgoing Prime Minister was nevertheless very fond of these ideals, even pushing the audacity so far as to write a book around his Saint-Laurent Project, openly praising oil exploitation. It was also at this time that François Legault strongly defended the need for a purge within the Quebec public service – largely through attrition. The idea was picked up today by Mr. Duhaime.
We can also talk at length about the ideological volte-face of the Parti Québécois, which, less than a decade ago, openly advocated the exploration of the oil potential on Anticosti Island. This same party, once recognized and promoted as a coalition of sovereignists from all walks of life, has therefore followed suit towards an assumed and unveiled left turn. We can say the same of the leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Dominique Anglade, who was once president of the Coalition avenir Québec, when the party was still in its embryonic stage and when it assumed the essence of the newly denied ideals. by Mr. Legault.
It would be very naïve not to correlate, and even not to explain, this sudden shift to the left in Quebec politics with the rise in popularity of Quebec solidaire, officially catapulted into the National Assembly of Quebec in 2008. This party quickly gained popularity, to the point that it very well risks rising to official opposition status following the election on October 3.
But what follows is fascinating. Rather than assuming the integral historical nature of their respective parties, his opponents chose to add an impressive amount of water to their wine, so that the mixtures proposed by the CAQ, the PLQ and the PQ now all have the same aftertaste: an ardent desire to conform more to the discourse imposed by QS.
The arrival of Éric Duhaime therefore has the effect of a breath of fresh air for voters who feel forgotten in the political situation. It would be simplistic to associate the historic growth of the PCQ with a simple popular protest movement in the face of overly muscular health measures. This party embodies ideals too often ignored since the disappearance of the late ADQ.
Never mind, large sections of the population seem rather frightened by the advent of a party with different ideals. We refuse to see in the healthy exercise of a clash ideology between conservative and socialist ideas the opportunity to reassess the relevance of the state model advocated for decades, according to the challenges and realities of today.
This inevitably leads to another question: when did debates become taboo in La Belle Province?