What do great restaurants and political parties have in common? They both need a chef who can handle the heat of the stoves. Corollary: when they don’t, the trademark will inevitably decline.
This is what is happening to the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), which looks more and more like a restaurant that has had its glory days, but which no longer succeeds in attracting customers.
Yet not only does the party still have only an interim leader, it has yet to decide when and how a leadership race will take place.
All that the constitution of the PLQ tells us is that the leader must be elected by universal ballot of the members in good standing of the party. The precise rules will be determined by the party’s executive council, which is in no hurry and should not reveal everything until the fall.
Unfortunately for the PLQ, time is running out. In the latest Léger poll, the Liberals won only 4% of the vote among Francophones. In a poll that has a 3% margin of error…
What this means is that the PLQ, as we can clearly see, has virtually no influence over the course of Quebec politics. The Legault government has just had its worst session since taking office, but the official opposition has failed to take advantage of it in any way.
However, this official opposition status should bring something to the PLQ. If only because it has the first question in the National Assembly every day and has more than any other party.
Even in terms of financing, traditionally the strength of the PLQ, the party is now in last place among the parties represented in the National Assembly in terms of voter contributions.
To finance the modest tour of the recovery committee co-chaired by André Pratte and MP Madwa-Nika Cadet, the party was forced to make an emergency appeal to its members to send $25, with success to say the least. mixed.
As for activism, there were perhaps some 400 party members at the recent general council in Victoriaville, but the fact remains that several constituency associations – the sinews of war in general elections – hardly exist except on paper.
To all these misfortunes, we must add that of the interim leadership. Marc Tanguay may be sympathetic and dedicated, but he too often shines with his lack of judgment.
Currently, the Liberals – who still describe themselves as the party of fundamental freedoms – are the only opposition party that supports the Legault government in its decision to judge “on a case-by-case basis” who can or cannot rent a room belonging to in the state. A decision that opens the door to arbitrariness and goes against the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms. A decision by Mr. Tanguay…
Just like that, just as incomprehensible, of making a dubious amalgam between a book written more than a decade ago by the new commissioner for the French language, Benoît Dubreuil, and the speech of Jacques Parizeau on the evening of the referendum of 1995. Especially since every time the Liberals try to resuscitate this controversy, they only show how short of ideas they are.
We understand why Liberal activists are not very inclined to entrust the leadership of the PLQ on a permanent basis to the member for LaFontaine. In the latest Léger poll, only 27% of those who identified as Liberals saw Mr. Tanguay as their permanent leader. He was at the top of the names polled, but far behind the refusals to answer, at 55%.
All this could be a reason to wait until the party is more ready to hold a leadership convention. After all, being chosen a few months before the election did not turn out badly for the last two Liberal prime ministers, Jean Charest and Philippe Couillard, both chosen in the year preceding the election.
But, objectively, the situation of the PLQ was then a lot less critical than it is today and it was still seen, by the vast majority of voters, as the government in waiting.
This is no longer the case today as the Parti Québécois is increasingly establishing itself as the alternative, despite having only three members of the National Assembly.
Waiting until 2024 to choose a leader would be a big risk for the PLQ. Starting with that of having further lost ground, especially in the French-speaking electorate.
And too bad if a faster timetable upsets some potential candidates or the current party leadership. Because if we don’t rush them, it could well be too late to save the PLQ.