Quebec at a Crossroads: Rising PQ Momentum Meets QLP Leadership Race
As the Parti Québécois capitalizes on growing nationalist sentiment, the Quebec Liberal Party faces a pivotal moment in redefining its future amidst a competitive leadership race.
Quebec faces indignified challenges in its current state.
Premier François Legault and his CAQ government haven’t exactly raced to tackle the issues facing the average Quebecer.
We’ve just been through one of the worst rainy seasons in our history. Where was the Premier? You guessed it! He wasn’t leading the government’s efforts to help flood victims. No, he was watching the Finals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
Oh, and his government isn’t exactly checking any boxes with Quebecers, in terms of popularity. The CAQ (short for “Coalition Avenir Quebec”) has been focused on legislating what language you can speak rather than fighting real issues such as the housing crisis, the healthcare system, or repairing Quebec’s crumbling infrastructure.
Unfortunately, folks, the priority of this CAQ government seems to be sending language inspectors to predominantly anglophone hospitals such as the Jewish General Hospital to make sure that the only language being spoken is: French. Yep, you guessed it! In a life-threatening emergency, language becomes more important than life-saving measures in a language that you can understand.
Now, this government is in trouble. The latest polling aggregates have them in second place by popular vote, and third place in the seat count.
Don’t count on Legault or his ministers acting in any way that would seem to suggest they care about the average citizens of their province.
However, the alternative party isn’t exactly better. The CAQ is considered to be a soft-nationalist party, whereas the Parti Québécois is vying for another referendum on Quebec sovereignty. If the election were held today, they’d likely win, convincingly.
Now, most people are turned off by the idea of another referendum, but the Quebec Liberals are in the midst of a leadership race. Without a leader, without a policy direction, how can a Federalist party expect to win an election? The most challenging aspect is that the official leadership race doesn't even begin until January 2025, with ballots not being cast until June 2025.
So, folks, we have a long journey ahead: The rise of a hard sovereigntist party with no opposition in sight. This road ahead is going to be bumpy, so strap in for the ride!