Québec solidaire cannot win the hearts of Quebecers outside of urban centers.
Could QS’s reluctance to defend so-called “identity issues” explain some of this disconnect from the French-speaking majority? The popularity of the CAQ is largely explained by the certainty that François Legault will make defending the French language and the state’s secularism a priority.
The evolution of QS for 17 years
QS has evolved on these issues in recent years. Initially very feminist, the party, then led by Françoise David and Amir Khadir, strongly supported the principle of secularism embodied in the Bouchard-Taylor consensus.
But over the years, QS has supported Liberals’ haughty attitude toward the concerned French-speaking majority. In her eyes, Quebecers concerned about these issues are suspicious, withdrawn and even a little racist. QS has also paid lip service to Law 96 on French and rejected Law 21 on Secularism. Two important laws in the eyes of a majority of Quebecers for the sustainability of a just, egalitarian and francophone society.
QS against the majority
Leading the charge against Bill 21 with the PLQ and Justin Trudeau, the Solidaires oppose 55-65% of Quebecers who support Bill 21, and the percentage is much higher in the regions.
While Statistics Canada released dramatic data on the decline in French last August, during the election QS proposed increasing the number of immigrants to 80,000, despite high thresholds hampering efforts to integrate and francize newcomers. The Solidarity proposal was higher than that of the Liberals…
These positions are of course popular in Montreal and selectively effective in winning over the liberal Montreal ridings. Having a majority assembly in Montreal, like an echo chamber, the lawmakers and activists who want to protect their seat are defending more and more urban problems and berating the problems related to the identity of the Quebec people.
Wanting to replace the PLQ in Montreal at all costs, QS suffered the same fate as the PLQ in the regions.
