(Quebec) The day after an election that did not allow Quebec solidaire (QS) to “conquer” as many ridings as it wanted, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois defended that his party still “resisted” to the CAQ wave, but that it is more necessary than ever to reopen the debate on a reform of the voting system.
Posted at 3:28 p.m.
“I am calm. I accept the results with humility. We will have great responsibilities as an opposition group, that of hounding François Legault on the issue of the environment and making proposals to him. I’m ready and I’m motivated,” said Mr. Nadeau-Dubois on Tuesday during a review interview with The Press.
According to him, Monday’s results show that it becomes “unjustifiable” to maintain the first-past-the-post electoral system. This is not the first time that a party leader has addressed the issue of the voting system, especially when the seats in Parliament do not reflect the votes cast.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois now wants citizens to express themselves so that the government of François Legault agrees to reopen the debate.
It is becoming urgent. Whatever our political allegiance, we should not accept that so many votes are lost and that the will of the Quebec people is also twisted by our electoral system.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois
Two new faces
Despite these criticisms, Mr. Nadeau-Dubois promised Tuesday that his party would play the role of a constructive opposition to the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), particularly in terms of the fight against climate change. In recent times, Québec solidaire has hammered home that Monday’s election was the “last chance” for the climate.
Quebec solidaire won 11 seats in Parliament on Monday, one more MP than in 2018, thanks to two gains on the island of Montreal. Party president Alejandra Zaga Mendez, a specialist in sustainable development, was elected in Verdun, as was former vice-president of the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), Haroun Bouazzi.
“Alejandra is one of the architects of our climate plan, which has been praised by experts […] and Haroun Bouazzi will bring us credibility on economic issues,” said Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.
In interview with The PressMme Zaga Mendez said she would arrive in Quebec with ideas to “put on the table” regarding the climate. Mr. Bouazzi, for his part, acknowledged that his party had to educate about its tax proposals, while the expression “orange taxes” has stuck to the solidarity campaign in recent weeks.
Will the PQ be a recognized party?
Until Parliament sits again later this fall, Québec solidaire will also have to sit down with the other parties that have elected more than 10 members to determine whether the Parti Québécois (which has only three elected members, including the leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon) will be recognized as an official party in the National Assembly. On this subject, Mr. Nadeau-Dubois preferred not to comment on Tuesday.
Despite disappointing results for her party, the latter intends to ask its members to renew her term as co-spokesperson of the party in 2023. Manon Massé, for her part, said on Sunday that she wanted to give herself time to reflection before announcing whether she would also be seeking a new mandate.