(Trois-Rivières) Repulsive policy proposals partly explain the limitations of Québec Solidaire (QS), according to MP Christine Labrie. The stagnation of party support was the focus of debates between the three candidates for joint party leadership on Sunday.
Published yesterday at 6:54 p.m.
What there is to know
- MPs Christine Labrie and Ruba Ghazal and former MP Émilise Lessard-Therrien are candidates to replace Manon Massé as female co-spokesperson of Québec Solidaire.
- Party delegates will make their choice during a party convention in Gatineau in late November.
- The three candidates believe that Quebec solidarity has reached a plateau and that the Left Party needs to change its approach to attract new voters.
“People are aware that we have to fight against climate change, but they feel judged by our speech, they have the impression that we will change their quality of life […]. This is particularly true outside large urban centers,” said the member for Sherbrooke during this debate lasting more than an hour, which took place on Sunday in front of almost 200 activists in Trois-Rivières.
This is a topic that causes great resentment.
Christine Labrie
On this issue, Ms. Labrie firmly believes that QS’s speech created a feeling of disgust among citizens of the regions and suburbs. “We almost point the finger at them as people who don’t participate,” she lamented.
She was scathing about other aspects of the party. She asks members to move away from the “cloud shovel” image and avoid presenting or better publicizing complex proposals or jargon like land trusts that are not understood by the majority of voters. “We need to talk more about a just transition […]”But apart from the union delegates and the rest of us, there aren’t many people for whom it means anything,” she said.
On sovereignty, Ms Labrie believes it is unacceptable for QS to accept that half of its supporters are not separatists. “We would never accept a survey that said half of members identify as feminists. Why do we accept that this applies to independence? “ she asked herself. She also believes that the party is hiding behind its project of a “constituent assembly” – a “loophole” – to avoid defining its national project.
But she is not the only one who fears the party’s stagnating support. Émilise Lessard-Therrien says she is “very worried about our cap” and Ruba Ghazal has put forward a plan to expand the party’s electorate.
PHOTO STÉPHANE LESSARD, THE NEWSLETTER
The three candidates for co-leadership of Québec Solidaire: Christine Labrie, Émilise Lessard-Therrien and Ruba Ghazal
Ghazal relies on experience
For her part, Ms. Ghazal relies on independence, on her experience – she will be almost fifty years old in 2026 – and on her long-standing commitment within QS, putting forward her plan to seek more support from workers and the economic suburbs.
PHOTO STÉPHANE LESSARD, THE NEWSLETTER
Ruba Ghazal
She pointed out that when she attends activist meetings across Quebec, many CEGEP and university professors are present, but store employees are absent. Nonsense for the “Workers’ Party,” she complained. “These people are not voting for us. We have to establish a dialogue with them,” she emphasized.
We are efficient [les députés], but it does not penetrate the population. We have been stagnating since 2018. We will have to stand out.
Ruba Ghazal
She suggests leaving the “parliamentary bubble” through as many regional tours as possible, but warns party activists not to choose Émilise Lessard-Therrien. A co-speaker who is not elected to the National Assembly will have less media reach than her male counterpart, even though Quebec Solidaire has twice as many men as women in the caucus, Ms. Ghazal indicated.
The MP for Mercier, Amir Khadir’s former stronghold, put forward several proposals to give the regions more space, especially in party committees.
A spokesman for the regions
But Montreal’s elected representative faces a united front on the issue: Ms. Lessard-Therrien and Ms. Labrie both believe the next speaker will have to come from outside the metropolis. “For people to listen to us, we have to remove the label of being a Montreal party. It won’t solve everything, but it’s important,” Ms. Labrie said.
For her part, Émilise Lessard-Therrien played the rural card, arguing that she was the only one who knew well the reality of remote regions. She would thus act as a counterweight to Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, a city MP. After Ms. Massé’s departure, in her opinion, we must not forget to “put the dream back at the center of the Québec Solidaire discourse”.
PHOTO STÉPHANE LESSARD, THE NEWSLETTER
Émilise Lessard-Therrien
Voting is not rational, but very emotional. You must use this fiber.
Émilise Lessard-Therrien
She believes activists need to ask themselves “who will bring Quebec Solidaire out of the woodwork” and which candidate will be able to ensure the party’s growth. She argues that as a former MP for Rouyn-Noranda-Témiscamingue, she can achieve this.