There are different ways of conceiving success in politics, depending on what we expect from it. Some have a long and brilliant career, the results of which are nevertheless difficult to perceive, while others may have a less spectacular career while still contributing significantly to the evolution of society.
“The fact of having been able to make the third political way triumph constitutes the cornerstone of the legacy of François Legault”, we can read in the conclusion of the book Conquering power, which is launched this week by Pascal Mailhot and Éric Montigny, close advisors to Mr. Legault and Mario Dumont. But what exactly does this legacy consist of?
The Democratic Action of Quebec (ADQ) then the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) have undoubtedly contributed to the diversification of the political debate over the last thirty years, and we must not underestimate the challenge represented by the creation of a new political party and even more that of leading it to power.
“All eyes are now turned to the future to discover the form that the political legacy of this third way will take,” write the authors. The question is who will benefit from this: Quebec or another politician, who will use it once again as a springboard?
As luck would have it, the publication of this ode to the third way coincided with Justin Trudeau’s categorical refusal to accept Mr. Legault’s request for repatriation of full powers in matters of immigration. This does not bode well for a path that already seemed very narrow.
Mario Dumont’s indignation was undoubtedly sincere when Robert Bourassa accepted the Charlottetown agreement, which did not guarantee real decentralization of the federation. By opposing it during the referendum to which it gave rise, he was not yet considering the creation of a new party, of which he would ultimately become the leader. His ambition developed later.
His joining the Yes camp in 1995, after he had forced Jacques Parizeau to include “partnership” in his proposal, was just as sincere. In the aftermath of the defeat, it became perfectly legitimate to seek a way out of the constitutional impasse in which Quebec found itself. The ADQ’s adventure ended badly, and its former leader seemed to get closer to sovereignty in recent years. In a series of columns, he even explained why he would vote Yes again.
The case of Mr. Legault is different. He joined the Parti Québécois (PQ) after the referendum, when sovereignty was still on the agenda. After the departure of Lucien Bouchard, he became the leader of the impatient, who pleaded for a third referendum as quickly as possible. One wonders to what extent this haste was not simply a way of contesting the leadership of Bernard Landry.
Conquering power tells how the creation of the CAQ resulted from the opening of a “window of opportunity” which appeared to Mr. Legault as an opportunity to make a good deal. “In fact, the ex-entrepreneur sees an electoral market that is just waiting to receive a new political offer. »
Whether you are for federalism or sovereignty, both are based on a vision of the political future of Quebec. Initially, the CAQ did not carry any. By merging his new party with the ADQ, Mr. Legault did not want to resume his autonomist project, which he said he always found difficult to explain. The idea was rather to put the national question on the back burner for a period of ten years.
It was the crushing defeat in the June 2015 by-election in Chauveau, which the CAQ believed to be an impregnable fortress, that convinced Mr. Legault of the need to have a position. Less than the expression of a conviction, the definition of the “New project for the nationalists of Quebec” was a marketing operation.
Electorally, the success is undeniable. The desire to get rid of the Liberals contributed powerfully to the 2018 victory, but this autonomist turn gave a clear conscience to those who were just waiting to swallow this lure, even if Mr. Legault was to be the first to know that the government Trudeau was not going to accede to requests from Quebec that had remained a dead letter for decades. The collapse of the PQ even guaranteed the opposite.
The authors ofConquering power seem to have taken great pleasure in recalling the (very great) evil that Bernard Drainville or even Stéphane Gobeil, today one of the Prime Minister’s closest advisors, thought of him when he founded the CAQ. This “junk Moses” who had “let Quebec down”.
Their story ends before the 2022 election, when Mr. Legault received a “strong mandate” to negotiate with Ottawa. What happened next might have encouraged them to tone down their enthusiasm. The meeting with Mr. Trudeau seemed more like a requiem for the third way, which seems to be in as bad shape as the third link.