The 2022 election campaign is historic. Never before have there been so many visible minority and aboriginal candidates.
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There are already more candidates from visible minorities and indigenous peoples than in 2018 (68 vs. 53), while more than 130 candidates have yet to be announced.
“We’re seeing Quebec society changing, and that’s reflected in the political parties,” explains political scientist Éric Montigny of Laval University. We like to forget that. The National Assembly must reflect the diversity of the population.”
All parties make an effort.
“It goes beyond party lines,” says the professor.
This year, the Liberal Party of Quebec, which was bottom of the class in 2018 with only 8 candidates, is making a complete change.
Although only half of the team is known, the party already has 17 visible minority and Aboriginal candidates (24%).
“The party may be catching up compared to the last election, the numbers for 2018 surprised me,” emphasizes Mr Montigny. Minorities made up 6% of party candidates.
A symbol
Dominique Anglade, Head of PLQ
Party leader Dominique Anglade makes it clear that she is not acting so much as a reaction to 2018.
“It also happens quite naturally, when a woman from cultural communities is a chef, it sends the message that anything is possible, people say, ‘why shouldn’t I go too’, I think that convinced people to get involved.” She explains.
The chef adds that current issues such as systemic racism have also challenged the communities.
Ms Anglade will also make history this year by becoming the first black woman to take part in the Heads of State and Government debates.
7 black women in the PLQ
With the announcement on Thursday of the candidacy of Wittlyn Kate Semervil, of Haitian origin, in Papineau in Outaouais, the PLQ now has 7 black women in its ranks, a record.
This is how the first black MP in Quebec, Jean Alfred, was elected to the PQ in 1976.
“There’s symbolism in the message we’re sending, that’s for sure,” Ms Anglade acknowledges.
The PLQ still has candidates ahead and could beat Québec solidaire, which has 21 candidates from diversity (18%).
For the Blue Room to be representative of Quebec, 13% of elected officials should be visible minorities. In 2018 it was 8%.
models
“Models are needed and we saw more of them in the last elections, in people who held ministerial posts,” said Mr Montigny, if we only have to think of Ministers Nadine Girault and Lionel Carmant.
“It can awaken passions and interests in people,” adds the professor. Contrary to what we sometimes hear in English Canada, there is real diversity in Quebec’s political life, it’s very real, he points out.
– With the collaboration of Philippe Langlois, Charles Mathieu and Pascal Dugas Bourdon
Percentage of minority candidates
- QLP: 24% (17/71)
- QA: 18% (21/120)
- CAQ: 11% (13/118)
- PCQ: 10% (11/105)
- QP: 8th% (6/78)
Source: Data collected by Le Journal de Montréal and Agence QMI from the 5 political parties. We have included visible minorities and aboriginal people in our data.
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