As the PQ climbs higher in the polls, there is more debate about its commitment to holding a referendum in its first term.
The Federalist speech is written in advance. The PQ doesn’t have to worry about this.
There will be some among the nationalists who will suggest taking it easy.
They will say that the referendum will scare away voters.
Above all, they will say that a third defeat would be the final nail in the coffin.
franchise
These arguments are far less convincing than in the past for five reasons.
First, it is absolutely clear that governing does not increase support for sovereignty.
It’s exactly the opposite. Governance consumes all your energy and your mistakes have a negative impact on the sovereignty project.
We are no longer in the 1970s, when sovereigntists who had never ruled before could believe in the virtues of provincial power in preparation for the big night.
Secondly, if you take power with an unclear mandate about whether to hold the referendum or not, every gesture you make once in government will be seen as a sneaky ploy to promote your option, and this distrust taints everything.
Third, we are no longer in a two-party system like we used to be.
When there were only two major parties – the PLQ and the PQ – and small fringe parties, the PQ, when it was the opposition party, received many votes from those dissatisfied with the Liberal government, even if those voters were not sovereigntists.
It’s now a five-way game.
The PQ can no longer rely, as it did in the past, on change that would automatically return it to power once the people grow tired of the existing government.
These now have four options.
The PQ must therefore give a large contingent of voters a strong and clear reason to vote for them.
With this in mind, who should be addressed first?
Apparently, the sovereigntists of the left, right and center are the largest bloc of French-speaking voters with a common strong political belief.
The PQ should stop wasting time seducing non-French speakers. We’ve tried it in the past. Total failure.
Let’s assume that there are around 35% sovereignists. These are the people the PQ needs to target and bring back into the fold.
Your best chance of achieving this is to put everything into what turns her on.
If the PQ prioritizes good governance, it will essentially be saying the same things as the other opposition parties.
Why should a sovereigntist be strongly drawn to a party that views sovereignty as an unwieldy chain?
NOW
Fifthly, the prospect of a third referendum defeat like in 1998 or 2008 no longer exists.
Ottawa’s insane immigration rates, aimed primarily at drowning out the identity of French Quebec, are quickly closing the demographic window available to the sovereigntists to achieve their goal.
So it’s now or never.
Let’s confront Quebecers with their responsibilities and accept the consequences of their decision once and for all.