The Liberal Party is forming a committee to redefine its identity and political philosophy in 2023. This is both a gesture of courage and an admission of deep distress. Honestly, I have rarely seen such a lost party.
Political parties are sometimes caricatured by their predictability. On a specific issue, it is easy to guess what the reaction of a party will be. Something federal? The PQ will say no because they are separatists. Do we offer more privacy? A left party like QS will denounce. A new regulation? The defender of freedom Éric Duhaime will say no.
Beyond the caricature, there is something healthy and normal in this predictability. Political parties have roots. Their activists have come together in the same party because they share convictions. This is called the DNA or identity of a political party.
In 2023, a very clever person who can predict what the PLQ might say on such and such an issue. A confused party. We realize today that at one time, it was the attraction of power that united the liberals more than a political philosophy. Today, far from power and devoid of identity, the PLQ is sinking.
Imitate QS
At the very moment of launching its reflection, the Liberal Party provided us with an example of its bewilderment. Its economic spokesperson Frédéric Beauchemin proposed increasing Quebec’s debt to invest in accelerated energy transition. In a blind guessing game, if I had been asked which of our political parties such a statement came from, I would have said Québec solidaire.
How can we imagine that the party that put Quebec’s finances in order, even if it means being accused of austerity, is now proposing to increase the debt briskly? Is it the same party where the duo Leitao / Coiteux was campaigning a short time ago?
On the environment, a few years ago, the PLQ advocated sustainable development, a balance between economy and environment. In the regions of Quebec, many Liberal activists were members of chambers of commerce who denounced the blocking of all projects by ecologists. Overnight, oops! They want to be part of the greens. The liberal militants themselves do not find themselves there any more.
French, a crucial issue
What about pirouettes in linguistic matters, a fundamental issue? Liberal MPs welcomed Bill 96 positively. In a desire to reconnect with Francophones, they had supported the need to strengthen the protection of French, even going so far as to propose an amendment that strengthened Law 96.
Then, noting the discontent in English-speaking circles, they turned around on a dime. They turned against Law 96, even going so far as to repudiate their own amendment.
The committee formed today will have a lot to do. In an ideal world, we would have had to wait for the choice of the new chef. But the PLQ is so confused that it no longer had this luxury.