Late last week, Dominique Anglade made a risky bet by revealing his manifesto 114 days before the next election.
Mrs Anglade’s Liberals have clearly decided to go all out. Late in the polls, we can say she has nothing to lose.
The PLQ also needed a story to tell Quebecers, because since his election to chair the PLQ, Dominique Anglade has been searching for himself.
At one point, Ms. Anglade’s entourage described the PLQ as sort of a unified Quebec, but federalist. Then the member tried for Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne a nationalist change. But while studying Law 96, everything went horribly wrong.
Back to basics
During the General Assembly, we saw that the PLQ had returned to its core game, Economy.
Unlike the Caquistes, who spoke of pride at their last convention, the Liberals spoke of Quebecers’ main problem: the rising cost of living.
Lower taxes, the end of the welcome tax and the abolition of the QST on hydroelectric bills were on the agenda.
Those promises will give substance to the Liberal leader and candidates on the ground. For the Reds, the economy is a better playing field than identity issues or health-care problems.
save the day
By disclosing their promises ahead of time, liberals can steal the salad from their opponents. We quickly saw that François Legault was dangling tax cuts in return.
While there was a risk of having her ideas stolen, Ms Anglade had to relocate to maintain her role as leader of the official opposition.
Unfortunately, salvaging the furniture probably won’t be enough to salvage their position at the top of the PLQ.
