Dear Madam,
As we prepare to mark the 100e birthday of your late brother René, I would have wished that, precisely, all this could be done in the most beautiful of fraternities. Believe me, it saddens me to know that you are angry, and if I can appease it in the slightest with these few words, I, in turn, undertake to write them to you.
In your letter, you invited me to show more rigor and balance in evaluating a central element of your brother’s legacy, namely the political vehicle he created, the Parti Québécois ( QP). In truth, no one can dispute the fundamental role this party has played in our recent history. This is so important that it is acquired.
Yes, during a recent interview, I had harsh words for more than one political party, including the Parti Québécois, while also having good ones. I warned against too rapid predictions by saying “who knows the future”, “rich in all possibilities”. I reiterated that independence is a “political necessity”, that “the dream is still there”. I said clearly that “I do not expect the disappearance of the PQ”. It is the totality of my remarks – in an interview which, on screen, lasts more than twenty minutes – which form a much more nuanced whole than what a few headlines have been able to define or what those who still, actively, partisan politics.
Alice Lévesque’s letter
It is also the memory of the great democrat that your brother was that inspires me when I say, about the vehicle that is the Parti Québécois, that “if” — and I insist, “if” — people want more, we’ll have to choose another one. We are well aware that Mr. Lévesque went further, by strongly distinguishing the ideas of the parties, and by calling on the latter “to include in their statutes a clause providing that[s] disappear[ont] after a while”, even evoking the idea that it is as short as a generation. By this count, I admit, the Liberal Party would probably be dead and buried a long time ago. At ten and sixteen years of existence, the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) and Québec solidaire (QS) would almost already be entering the end of their useful life.
The truth is that it is not up to me or anyone else to decree the death of a party, nor its survival, but to the voters. That’s what I expressed. For the rest, we will have a small part of the answer in October, but again, it cannot be definitive.
As for me, taking good note of your comments, I intend to strive to pay tribute to your brother at the height of his memory, his legacy and what he deserves more than anything. You recognize it, I esteem and love your brother.
With, in my turn, my respectful greetings.