Quebec: April 7, 2014

[EPG]

Yeah, separatism does tend to exist because of perceived grievances, and big mother-countries of multi-lingual and multi-cultural empires haven't always covered themselves in glory.

[EPG]

Sorry to be bothersome with rather simplistic questions (unfortunately, the remnants of GCSE French aren't enough for me to be able to properly decipher French language articles ), but what are the reasons for the PQ's seeming collapse, especially since (as far as I'm aware) they were in the lead at the start of the campaign. I know (think) the furore over this 'charter of values' is one, but are there others?

The cause is Pierre-Karl Péladeau's PQ candidacy, and Pauline Marois, who brought him in. Here is a loose translation of an article for you:

Great article from Hebert on how the PQ engineered their own demise. I'm sure Landry can console Marois.

1. Marois recruited Péladeau as a candidate; to calm the left, this was proclaimed as being based on sovereigntism.
a. Two-thirds of voters don't want a referendum, and this seems to accelerate one;
b. The PQ grassroots were delighted, confirming the fears of those two-thirds of voters;
c. CAQ federalists are scared and go back to the PLQ;
d. QS wins some ground among progressives who distrust Péladeau.

2. Marois then rules out a referendum next term.
a. Sovereigntists are no longer motivated to vote PQ this time;
b. Some go to the CAQ;
c. Progressives who moved from PQ to QS are still alienated by Péladeau and now don't even have a referendum to tempt them back.

3. The Charter: PQ people made some unseemly attacks on Muslims (e.g. annexing swimming pools) and weren't really called out by their leaders. The PQ threatened to use the notwithstanding clause to guarantee the Charter's legality despite previously promising that it would be compliant with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and announced that religious clothing would be grounds for dismissal. Polls predicted that those two conditions would make the Charter less popular.
a. Some people were embarrassed to support the Charter after the attacks, specifically those who would otherwise have supported it in the name of male-female equality.
b. More moderate Charter supporters turn off the PQ's idea in favour of the CAQ line.
c. Anti-PQ-Charter sovereigntists favour QS even more strongly.
d. The PLQ vote is also firmed up.

[EPG]

If two-thirds of Québécois really don't want a referendum, the difficult position of the Parti Québécois is understandable. The late revival of the CAQ suggests demand for more moderate, conciliatory nationalism and secularism. Such a party could easily be one pole of a two-party system.

[EPG]

If two-thirds of Québécois really don't want a referendum, the difficult position of the Parti Québécois is understandable. The late revival of the CAQ suggests demand for more moderate, conciliatory nationalism and secularism. Such a party could easily be one pole of a two-party system.

Hopefully the other pole is a genuinely left-wing option, although I understand such a thing is getting pretty rare worldwide.

Québec already has a genuinely left-wing option, but like most genuinely left-wing parties, they are genuinely not very popular.

Many polities don't follow traditional left-right politics, Québec has been one of them for many years.

[EPG]

What's happening in the Québec City area? A Péquiste in the city centre, and Liberals around it. I know Lévis was the Canadian Alliance's strongest riding at federal level, so the CAQ vote is not surprising on the south shore.

[EPG]

Hahaha, I had forgotten with all the hand-wringing about this campaign that the PQ is a left-of-centre party.

Don't ask me how I remembered the Lévis factoid, possibly because the riding at the time had a long, poetic, memorable name. I reckoned that any Québec riding with more than token CA support must have been QUITE conservative.