DRUMMOND VILLE | Members of Éric Duhaime’s Conservative Party are not closed to the idea of adopting more autonomous positions, but the possibility of a more nationalist turn is worrying and might even lead some to slam the door.
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The shadow of a nationalist shift hung over the Quebec Conservative Party’s General Council held in Drummondville on Saturday.
“We have to find a way to unite and not divide,” said the head of the party’s political commission, Karim Elayoubi, acknowledging that the issue is fueling sentiment in conservative ranks.
The QMI agency revealed Thursday that influential members of the PCQ are lobbying for the adoption of more “identity” and “autonomist” positions. Some even want the party to take inspiration from Alberta’s sovereignty law, which would give the province the power to suspend the application of federal laws and regulations on its territory.
A lawyer who is “astute on constitutional matters” will also deal with the matter, Mr Elayoubi said. “We will come to you with an opinion and we will also see what members think about it.”
Cold
Unclosed to a gesture of autonomist affirmation, several conservative activists are cold to the idea of adopting more nationalist stances. “We’ll have to see what we mean by that, it seems everyone in Quebec wants to be a nationalist,” said Jonathan Poulin, a former party candidate in Beauce-Sud and a former liberal activist.
“It is certain that I will see if I stay or not as the party takes positions closer to the PQ and PQ 2.0, the CAQ,” confides Mathieu, an activist in La Peltrie, Quebec.
“If they do that, I’ll consecrate my camp!” slices Dan, another party member.
Not in “business of the referendum”
Éric Duhaime believes that these differences of opinion do not endanger the internal cohesion of the party. According to him, those who want to change the identity of the PCQ are a minority in their ranks. “According to surveys, there are about 13 percent sovereignists here, which is still little compared to the CAQ,” he explained in an interview.
“This is a significant group in the party, but we must be very clear (…) that we are not dealing with the referendum,” he added.
Only in the English part of his speech to his supporters did Mr. Duhaime address the issue. “Yes, we are a nationalist party, but we want to stay in Canada, there is no doubt about that. We need to make sure that all Quebecers are with us, including non-Francophones and Anglophones,” he said in Shakespeare’s language.
reform of the electoral system
The main item on the agenda was the issue of reform of the electoral system. “Regardless of political affiliation, everyone challenges me to say that it makes no sense that more than half a million Quebecers are not represented in the National Assembly,” Éric Duhaime told a press crowd.
However, according to the Conservative leader, it is still too early for his political party to take an official position on this issue. “There are many possible models that we have to examine first,” he said.
Former President of the National Assembly Jean-Pierre Charbonneau gave a speech on the need to reform the electoral system.
“I will tell you: if you are not satisfied with the result of the last election, the fact that you do not have a deputy with 14% of the vote, there is only one reason, because the mode of voting has not changed and that the prime minister didn’t keep his word,” he said to a press crowd a few minutes before his speech.
The majority of PCQ members present already seemed to believe that reform of the electoral system was relevant. “Anyone who knows politics knows we have to do this!” exclaimed Gilbert, who campaigns for the Conservatives in Johnson’s constituency.
reports
The National Council was also an opportunity to explain to the members “what will change after the autopsy after the elections”, emphasized Cédric Lapointe.
Thus, each Committee Chair will take stock of the file for which he is responsible. It will focus in particular on financing and communication, but also on the political orientation of the party.
A Léger poll on Saturday showed support for the PCQ remained stable. One in ten Quebecers would still vote for Eric Duhaime’s party, down a percentage point since the last poll.