Quebec sovereignty running out of steam
This could be the year the Quebec sovereignty movement is officially downgraded from mainstream to marginal. It would be unfair to declare the cause defunct, but recent developments suggest it is in the midst of a spectacular collapse.
Last week, three senior Parti Québécois MNAs announced they would not seek re- election in
October. Others could soon follow.
Polls suggest as few as one- in- five Quebecers would support the PQ.
Instead of rethinking sovereignist policy, some péquistes seem to be in search of a new saviour.
It appears as though the PQ is imploding. The incessant melodrama of impetuous sovereignist power plays does nothing to further the emancipation of the Québécois people.
Mes amis souverainistes, what I’m trying to say is, c’est fini. Your energy and determination may still be used to further Quebec’s interests, but first you must cut your losses.
It might not be too late for the PQ to preside over the end of a generational movement with some semblance of dignity, continuing to work toward the stated goal of strengthening Québécois culture.
It’s blasphemous in PQ circles to suggest Article One outlining its sovereignist mission be scrapped, but that decision could one day save the party from complete self- destruction. Shelving referendum plans for one term is an uninspiring half- measure.
Ahead of October’s election, most sovereignists are faced with two options: abandon sovereignty and cope with Canada- friendly politicians, or support the PQ while placing their sovereignism under a Jean- François Lisée- induced stasis until at least 2022.
Evidently, many are opting for the former, supporting the Coalition Avenir Québec to the right or, to a lesser extent, the soft sovereignist Québec Solidaire to the left. The newly organized NDP- Quebec could also provide another outlet.
Desperate for traction, the party on Monday unveiled a strange, desperate new ad campaign. The messages present the following analogy: “The State: On a diet or at the gym?” ( Liberal government “austerity” has placed Quebec on a metaphorical diet while the PQ would engage in strength training, or something.)
One of the only other political forces making waves for the sovereignty movement alongside the PQ is its previous leader, media mogul Pierre Karl Péladeau. He is engaging in more media jousting with critics, fuelling speculation he could return to politics.
The think tank Péladeau founded is also working to substantiate a traditionally unsubstantiated theory: that it is in Quebec’s interests to be an independent nation.
There are the omnipresent sovereignist- leaning language hawks who’ve graduated to policing spoken English. They earn few victories for the cause; the “Bonjour- Hi” affair is more of a serendipitous win due to strategic errors by Liberals.
Fighting for autonomy within Canada is ultimately how Péladeau, Lisée and other sovereignist leaders can advance their agenda.
Péladeau was even an unlikely hero among a subset of Canadian progressives following his arguments for government regulation of online broadcasters like Netflix. In defending Quebec cultural programming on behalf of Quebecor, Péladeau simultaneously lent a helping hand to a struggling English-Canadian industry.
On this important year for Quebec’s development, it’s time sovereignists readjust their expectations. The PQ is running out of options. Giving up on sovereignty, Quebecers have been telling sovereignists, should be one.