The imbalance in the representation of women and men within the Québec solidaire caucus “raises questions”, agrees Manon Massé. This will not prevent the party from presenting another man, Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, as a candidate in the Saint-Henri—Sainte-Anne by-election.
Perfectly equal during the last term, the caucus of QS deputies is now made up of 64% men – seven male representatives, against four women. And the result of the by-election in the Montreal riding of Saint-Henri—Sainte-Anne could further widen the gap, in the event of a victory for lawyer Guillaume Cliche-Rivard.
At the beginning of the month, the author Simon-Pierre Beaudet signed a letter particularly critical of the choices of the party, which, for the general elections of October, supported the candidacy of Étienne Grandmont to replace the outgoing deputy for Taschereau Catherine Dorion. The latter was elected.
“It’s embarrassing,” wrote Mr. Beaudet on January 12. The situation was perfectly avoidable upstream, but neither the authorities nor the spokespersons were able to prevent it. For a party which has included parity in its statutes, and of which feminism is one of the cornerstones, this testifies as much to a drift as to a flagrant lack of political voluntarism. »
The text, published in the pages of To have to, has also found echoes in Catherine Dorion herself. The former deputy, who had supported the female candidacy of Madeleine Cloutier in the race for the nomination of Taschereau, relayed it on Twitter, adding that “this [l’attristait] a lot “.
However, at QS, “it is the members who decide”, justified the co-spokesperson of the second opposition group in the National Assembly Manon Massé, at the opening of the pre-sessional caucus of solidarity deputies, Monday. “Indeed, it raises a number of questions. Moreover, questions that we will address to Québec solidaire following our assessment and then reflections for the future, ”she said.
Partial imminent
The Montreal elected official indicated that she did not feel any discomfort with the choice of Guillaume Cliche-Rivard as a candidate for the Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne partial. “There was an inauguration. There were two people who had presented themselves, and the members chose to give the mandate back to Guillaume. So we, […] we will work with the person there, ”she said.
The date of the by-election has still not been determined, and it is the executive – therefore the office of Prime Minister François Legault – who will have the prerogative to trigger it. The law gives him until May, but The Press reports that the ballot will take place in March.
In the context, QS got there in advance to start its local campaign. No other party has chosen a candidate yet. ” One [député] moreover, it’s always fun, launched the solidarity co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois on Monday. But it is above all that it is not just anyone. Guillaume Cliche-Rivard is a young lawyer whom Quebecers have begun to know. This is the kind of voice we need in the National Assembly. »
In practice, the addition of an MP at QS would not change much in the party’s privileges in Parliament. The agreement signed by the parliamentary groups last fall still stands.
Further details will follow.