For any other party we would speak of a “leadership race”.
But Québec Solidaire stands out in this regard. In the eyes of the Chief Electoral Officer, QS has an official ‘leader’, Nicolas Chatel-Launay. This very sympathetic former QS candidate (in series) took care of the journalists on the buses during the 2022 election campaign. His position is reminiscent of that of King Charles III: he “rules but does not rule”.
The true leaders of QS are apparently two “co-speakers”, currently Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and Manon Massé: male speaker and female speaker.
The latter recently announced that she intends to leave this position.
So far, several women are considering a takeover. Ruba Ghazal, MP for Mercier, a “historic” constituency of QS, has announced her candidacy. Two other potential competitors are under consideration: Émilise Lessard-Therrien (former MP for Rouyn-Noranda-Témiscamingue) and Christine Labrie (Sherbrooke).
With these three candidates, the race for the “co-spokesperson” that begins on August 26th should certainly be exciting.
However, this could be all the more the case if a non-binary person – in short, who does not identify with either of the two “traditional” genders – seeks a co-speaker.
We know how much we love to critique the limitations of male-female binary on the so-called “intersectional” left that dominates the QS base. But “when the 2006-2007 statutes were drafted, these issues were not yet so present,” we whispered yesterday in the wake of the two co-speakers.
For this reason, a few years ago, a third microphone appeared in national councils and party conferences alongside the “women” and “men” microphones: the “other” microphone.
QS’s program promises to defend the Yogyakarta (or Jogjakarta) Principles, written by international lawyers (including Canadian Louise Arbor). The third sentence reads: “No one shall be pressured to hide, suppress or deny their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
A QS government would also change how a person’s gender is identified in registry office, for example by “adding a third category for people who identify as neither male nor female”.
Theoretically?
However, when I raised the issue with QS Communications on May 16, I felt despair over what was considered purely theoretical.
“There are no non-binary candidates! Stéphanie Guèvremont from QS pounded on the phone. What if it was produced? “We would find a way. By adding a third co-speaker? “No, the bylaws say there are only two. »
The question was asked at a press conference yesterday. Manon Massé seemed annoyed, but was very open: “If there aren’t gender-specific people who want to introduce themselves, then let these people do it, then we’ll get on!” She didn’t rule out changing the party statutes.
To paraphrase an old milk ad, two co-speakers is good; but three is better, right?
