In a context in which the distortions caused by the electoral system are being denounced, Prime Minister Legault has a keen interest in showing his good will to the opposition, for example by inviting their leaders to meetings. But infinitely more needs to be done.
Prime Minister François Legault announced this week that he would meet with leaders of opposition parties to discuss Quebec’s electrification.
The initiative, which will start in the next few days, includes the leader of the Quebec Conservative Party, although there is no elected representative.
Certainly trying to defuse the image of an arrogant government that is often attributed to him, Mr Legault wants to show that he is open to ideas and discussions with the opposition.
- Listen to the column by Karine Gagnon, political columnist at the JDM and JDQ and deputy information director at the Journal de Québec, on Benoit Dutrizac’s microphone QUB radio :
Decrease appetite
But it’s also a safe bet that the CAQ is also looking at ways to lessen appetite for reform of the electoral system, which a majority of Quebecers want, according to a Léger poll conducted this fall.
In November, a demonstration calling for this reform took place in front of the National Assembly, attended by 200 people.
After winning nearly three-quarters of the seats with just under 41% of the vote, the CAQ and its leader refuse to hear of reform. However, Mr Legault committed to it just before he was elected to government in 2018.
Some, like the New Democracy Movement, advocate moving from the current mode, post first, to a compensatory mixed proportional model, as in Scotland or Germany.
Others, like Professor François Blais from the University of Laval, advocate a broader reflection, which would be done by a citizens’ committee that would make its recommendations to the population.
The model has yet to be defined and cannot be studied as long as the government remains deaf. But citizens deserve more than isolated gestures of openness. Their voices need better representation.
