Jacques Boissinot The Canadian Press Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau- Dubois, during a press conference last November
“Serene”, the co-spokesperson of Quebec solidaire (QS) Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois affirms “not to be afraid” to take stock of the elections of October in the National Council this weekend, even if in the militant base, the discontent is felt.
As provided for in their statutes, QS delegates will meet this weekend to take stock of the latest election campaign. The co-spokespersons are eagerly awaited. The results of the last election — in which the left-wing party received 15,000 fewer votes than in 2018 — did not meet members' expectations.
“There are choices that have been made at the platform level,” observes activist Andrée-Anne Tremblay, who will be a delegate from the local Taschereau association this weekend on the QS national council. “The party decided to take a direction that was perhaps a little less radical. […] He has greatly underestimated how far left his voter base is. »
To (re)read
Parity at the center of the QS National Council
In a report that it will present to the members on Saturday morning, the united national executive agrees that it has failed to build on the foundations of the historic 2018 campaign. work, despite polls indicating that our opposition work was the most effective and that Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois was the most popular opposition party leader, our voting intentions never materially changed,” states the Political Report of the 2022 elections, which Le Devoir was able to consult.
In an interview in the hours preceding the opening of the national council, Mr. Nadeau-Dubois indicated that he was not afraid of the debates that he could undertake this weekend with the members about the October ballot. “I arrive at this national council there very serene,” he said. “At Québec solidaire, we are a party of ideas, we are a party of debates and we are a transparent party. […] I think that this ability to debate between us is our strength and, personally, I am not afraid of these debates, ”adds Gouin's elected official.
Too central?
According to activist Hélène Bissonnette, a member of the Tendance Marxiste internationale de QS collective, the results of the last ballot can be explained in particular by the decision of the management to “moderate and [de] refocus the platform” electoral. “We have to realize that there is stagnation in Québec solidaire,” she continues.
The adoption of the solidarity electoral platform dates back to the November 2021 convention. The co-spokesperson solidarity Manon Massé then spoke of a “concrete document, stuck to people's concerns”.
“The decision to present a shorter, more concrete and more achievable electoral platform in a four-year term is a decision that was made democratically”, notes “GND”, more than a year after its adoption. “I was and still am in favor of that orientation. This is my vision for the future of Québec solidaire. »
The parliamentary leader of the second opposition group in the National Assembly rejects the idea that the party posted “centrist” proposals in September and October. “We presented a platform that was clearly marked on the left,” he said. There is no contradiction between ambition and rigor.
However, “many [of QS's proposals] appeared to be very complex”, agrees the party leadership in its Report of the last campaign. Among these: the tax on the purchase of gasoline vehicles, dubbed the “orange tax” by the chief caquiste, François Legault, or the tax on the fortunes of the “ultra-rich”.
Rallying the regions
Mr. Nadeau-Dubois also admits that there is an “urban-rural divide” in his party. The report he will present on Saturday morning further indicates that the “voting results in purely urban constituencies increased by an average of 1.72 percentage points, while those in predominantly rural constituencies fell by 2.15 percentage points on average”.
Andrée-Anne Tremblay, who is an activist in Quebec, even believes that the party had difficulty establishing itself as soon as it set foot outside the Quebec metropolis. “Of course there are questions. We end up with a fairly solid base in Montreal. In the nation's capital, there was a lack of global vision,” she says.
This weekend, QS members will discuss the best ways to rally voters residing outside urban areas. “I want Québec solidaire to listen first to activists in the regions,” says Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.
Except in Montreal, where the political party has made two gains — Verdun and Maurice-Richard —, QS did not progress as he intended during the last election. He also lost the riding of Rouyn-Noranda–Témiscamingue.
An external investigation not necessary for Bouazzi
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois does not believe it useful for the Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec to look into the allegations of irregularity in the choice of Haroun Bouazzi as a solidary candidate for the riding of Maurice-Richard. “All verifications were done under the supervision of a lawyer,” he said.
Quebecor newspapers report that party members accused Mr. Bouazzi — who has since accessed Member of Parliament — paying members for cards to get more votes at the nomination meeting, thereby breaking the law. The elected official, who at the time had defeated his opponent, Raphaël Rebelo, by a narrow margin of five votes out of 600 votes cast, denies en bloc.
“ We are certain that everything has been done in the rules of the art, “said Mr. Nadeau-Dubois on Friday. The internal process is enough, he added. “From the moment when, with diligence and under the supervision of a lawyer, we have the assurance that everything has been respected, for us, this case is closed. »
With The Canadian Press
