Quebec: something doesn't add up in this election campaign.
Oméga Jules ·
On one hand, polls keep telling us that a strong majority of Quebecers do not want independence. Some recent measures place the "No" vote even above 60%.
On one hand, polls repeatedly tell us that a strong majority of Quebecers do not want independence. Some recent measures place the "No" vote even above 60%.
On the other hand, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon's Parti québécois (PSPP) remains among the leading political forces in the campaign. This is despite the clearly expressed intention to hold a referendum on independence as early as a potential first PQ mandate.
PSPP also strengthened his standing as a frontrunner during the first leaders' Face-à-Face on TVA and LCN. In a Léger-Le Journal-TVA flash poll conducted after the debate, 38% of respondents awarded him the best performance, far ahead of his opponents.
Immigrants: What If We Had Misunderstood Quebec?
Immigrant communities are obviously not a homogeneous political bloc. But for many of us, our first political relationship with la belle province was built with Canada.
For many, Quebec first presented itself as a province of Canada — francophone and endowed with a particularly strong cultural identity. This relationship is not necessarily shared by a significant portion of francophone Quebecers.
The misunderstanding perhaps begins there. We sometimes view the Quebec national question through a binary opposition: federalism versus independence. Yet, part of Quebec seems to reason differently.
Against Independence and Deeply Nationalist
What this campaign reminds us is that Quebec also perceives itself as a nation. This nuance may seem semantic. It is not.
It influences Quebec's relationship to language, immigration, Ottawa, culture, institutions, and political power. It also helps us better understand why certain debates that can sometimes seem difficult for us to grasp take on such great importance here.
One can wish to better protect French, vigorously defend Quebec's powers, demand greater autonomy from Ottawa, consider Quebec a nation, and want to preserve its cultural distinctiveness — without being ready to leave Canada.
Part of the explanation for the PSPP phenomenon can no doubt be found in this space. And it is not necessarily a contradiction. The election of a PQ government and a referendum are not necessarily perceived as one and the same vote by the electorate.
This may be what PQ strategists have understood better than their opponents. PSPP does not need 50% plus one of Quebecers to be independentists in order to become premier.
Federalism and the Charles Milliard Paradox
After the first debate, the Liberal leader insisted on a distinction: he would be the only true federalist among the party leaders. But this claim almost immediately raises another question.
If nearly two-thirds of Quebecers are against independence, why isn't the Parti libéral comfortably in the lead? It is likely because the No side is no longer exclusively associated with the PLQ. The Quebec political system, which was bipartisan from 1960 through the 2000s, has become multi-party — marked particularly by a fragmentation of Quebec federalism among the CAQ, the PLQ, and the PCQ.
Today, one can be federalist and vote CAQ. One can be nationalist without being sovereigntist. One can be opposed to a referendum and yet prefer PSPP on other issues.
In other words, being against independence is no longer enough to define a Quebec voter politically.
A Story We Are Also Part Of
This reflection is particularly relevant for immigrant communities. We are no longer outsiders to this conversation. Our children are growing up here. Our businesses are creating wealth here. Our artists are contributing to Quebec culture. Our elected officials sit in its institutions. And our votes help determine the direction Quebec will take.
The national question is therefore no longer merely an old quarrel between federalists and sovereigntists, one we would watch from a distance. It is part of the Quebec to which we now belong.
And this election campaign may compel us to look at this Quebec with a slightly different lens.