The recent victory of Pierre Poilievre during the leadership race of the Conservative Party of Canada can be a source of motivation for the activists of the Conservative Party of Quebec and its leader Éric Duhaime.
For example, Sylvie Trottier admits having jumped for joy when she learned that Mr. Poilievre had become leader of the PCC by obtaining 68% of the points on the first ballot.
Ardent supporter of the Conservative Party of Quebec, Ms. Trottier says that Mr. Poilievre won her over by visiting opponents of Public Health measures aimed at combating COVID-19 during their occupation of the national capital last winter .
” [M. Poilievre] shares several ideas with Mr. Duhaime, she points out. He wants to take care of the people. It is for freedom of expression and for individual freedoms. This will create a wave for the Conservatives in Quebec. »
PCQ candidate in the Montreal riding of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Louise Poudrier says that her party has the same values as those of Mr. Poilievre, particularly in terms of freedom of expression and reduced state intervention.
“For members of the Conservative alliance, Mr. Poilievre’s victory is a good sign. It’s very encouraging for us, she says. This means that we are not alone in sharing these values. »
Frédéric Boily, a specialist in Canadian and Quebec political scenes at the University of Alberta, also believes that the results of the CPC leadership race represent “good news for Éric Duhaime, because it reinforces his message, which has similarities with that of Mr. Poilievre”.
Professor Boily points out that the two conservative leaders took advantage of the dissatisfaction caused by the public health measures. And even though most of them have been withdrawn, dissatisfaction remains, he adds.
“It created the conditions for a certain type of political message that the state has gone too far, that the state is spending too much, that the state is going into debt. According to him, inflation has also contributed to discontent against the government.
Mr. Poilievre and Mr. Duhaime both support the Énergie Saguenay liquefied natural gas export project. The day after the victory of the first, the second had underlined their common agreement on the subject. He also described Mr. Poilievre as a longtime friend who had helped him during his unsuccessful election campaign in 2003.
Mr. Duhaime, candidate for the Action Démocratique du Québec — the ancestor of the current CAQ — had then finished third in the riding of Deux-Montagnes.
“We understand each other on several subjects,” he told reporters. Mr. Duhaime says he is a member of the PCC, even if the two formations do not officially share any link.
Pierre Poilievre came first in 72 of the 78 ridings in Quebec in the Conservative election.
For Frédérick Guillaume Dufour, a professor in the sociology department at the University of Quebec in Montreal, this is a surprising result since the province does not generally support sarcastic politicians with a penchant for libertarian ideas such as Mr. Poilievre
“It shows that there is room for more populist and more libertarian ideas in the province. Currently, it is Éric Duhaime who occupies this niche on the political scene,” he said.
Despite Mr. Poilievre’s impressive result in Quebec, the two academics wonder if he is well known to Quebecers outside of conservative circles.
Recent polls point to a landslide victory for the Coalition avenir Québec in the October 3 election. His lead is at least 20 percentage points over his nearest rival. “The Quebec right remains embodied by the Coalition avenir Québec,” argues Professor Boily.