Québec solidaire woos anglos
Socially progressive, pro-sovereignty party marks its 10th anniversary
Quebec’s minorities should have another look at what Québec solidaire has to offer and not get hung up on its pro-sovereignty stand, representatives of the party say.
Swinging by the Montreal Gazette as part of a tour marking QS’s 10th anniversary, members of the left-wing party — which has elected three politicians in the National Assembly — made a fresh pitch to members of the English-speaking and other minority communities.
They had a simple message. If you believe in social and economic justice, the environment, feminism and the need for an alternative voice in the National Assembly, consider supporting the party, QS MNAs Amir Khadir and Manon Massé told the Gazette’s editorial board this month.
“I am sure plenty of anglophones can see themselves in a party which plays the watchdog role,” said Massé who represents the downtown riding of Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques.
“We realize there are important hurdles in front of us,” added Khadir, who represents Mercier. “There was the perception (in the beginning) that we were radicals. In fact, we’re reformists. We are at the National Assembly because we accepted the principle of reform.
“The most profound revolutions come from small reforms.”
As for QS’s pro-sovereignty views, the party says ‘let’s cross that bridge later.” For now, Khadir said, the prospects of separation are slim at best.
“As a party promoting independence I understand it doesn’t sit well (in the English community),” Khadir conceded. “But the Liberal Party is really taking the anglophone community and newcomers for granted and that does not serve democracy well.
“Between now and that day of decision (on sovereignty), there are a lot of things we can do together that will give an opportunity for progressive anglophones to not be condemned to vote for a conservative corrupt party.”
Indeed, left-leaning anglos have never been particularly active in Québec solidaire for just that reason, preferring the federal New Democratic Party — particularly in the days Jack Layton was leader.
But QS says it has come a long way since its first election campaign in 2007 where it bagged 3.64 per cent of the popular vote. In the last election, in 2014, that share of the vote had risen to 7.63 per cent.
Today it boasts about 11,000 members with 80 active riding associations across Quebec. It likes to cultivate its image as one of the few entrenched left-wing parties in North America.
This weekend the party gathers at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) for its annual policy convention, which will be partly devoted to celebrating its 10th anniversary. Also up for debate is QS’s view on the independence question.
Certainly its best known MNA is Françoise David, a founding member who used to wear the hat of party co-leader. She made headlines in the last two general elections for her impressive performance in the televised debates where she went up against the big party leaders.
The debates were key to her 2012 win in the riding of Gouin, a former Parti Québécois stronghold and her re-election in 2014. She would join Khadir who had been the lone QS MNA in the legislature since 2008. Massé was elected in 2014, taking down former PQ cabinet minister Daniel Breton.
Looking back at the 10 years, David, now 68 and not certain she will run for office again, says she’s proud of the party’s accomplishments.
“We have implanted, in a durable way, the left on the Quebec political landscape,” David said in a separate interview.
She laughs thinking about the analysts and pundits who predicted the party would not last; that traditional infighting among the left would cause QS to implode.
“Today nobody calls into question the way we work,” she said. “Nobody treats us as amateurs anymore. We have acquired credibility.”
The party is holding its own, too, bagging around 16 per of the vote (19 per cent among francophones alone) consistently in polls, which is not bad in a province dominated by the big three parties, Liberal, PQ and Coalition Avenir Québec.
QS’s support is particularly interesting when broken down riding by riding. In the 2014 election the party obtained 10 per cent or more of the vote in 20 of the province’s 125 ridings.
Hence its reputation as a spoiler for the PQ because the two are fighting for the same left of centre voters. The PQ to this day believes it lost ridings in 2014 because QS siphoned off support.
In the legislature, QS makes good use of the little time it is granted in question period — it gets about three questions over the course of seven sessions, but compensates by being very active in committees and with news conferences.
It has scored small but significant victories such as the time it assembled a team of volunteers to dig through piles of documents to establish that members of engineering firms had made use of straw man strategies to make illegal donations to political parties.
Khadir was the first MNA to start complaining about tax havens and now a committee of the legislature is examining the issue.
The party has been resolutely against oil and gas exploration on Anticosti Island, regularly outshining a waffling PQ on the issue. Massé, a former community organizer, is particularly proud of a bill she tabled making it impossible for a senior to be ousted from their apartment so the landlord can raise the rent or convert it into a condo. That bill is nearing adoption. The focus in this anniversary year has been on boosting support beyond the Montreal region — particularly in smaller cities such as Saguenay, Trois-Rivières and Sherbrooke. Khadir, Massé and David fanned out on a province-wide tour over the last few months where they focused on economic issues.
But QS has been in the headlines over the last few weeks mainly due to efforts by the PQ to woo it and other small sovereignist parties into one big tent.
Having more or less given up trying to merge QS into its ranks, the PQ’s new convergence strategy — launched by former PQ leader Pierre Karl Péladeau — aims to at least become independence allies.
“The question is not whether we will merge into the PQ, it is can we work together on things,” said Massé.
Talks are underway on the complicated issue but QS remains wary. From the beginning it has linked its support for sovereignty to a particular vision of a just society in Quebec. In the QS playbook, the two go hand in hand.
“Sinking ourself is out of the question,” David said. “After 10 years, this party is here to stay. We will not sacrifice QS on the altar of convergence.”
And that is another reason why QS thinks anglophones and other minority communities should take a look at where QS is going.
“In due time, when we have to discuss the independence of Quebec, then we will part the waters,” said Khadir. “We are not trying to woo them (anglophones) into the lobster trap (of sovereignty).”
I am sure plenty of anglophones can see themselves in a party which plays the watchdog role. MNA MANON MASSÉ