credit: saviezvousque.net (AI image) It’s a question that haunts the corridors of the National Assembly: can a political party survive the departure of its founder, especially when that founder is the premier? François Legault’s recent « exit » was enough to reignite the rumor mill and speculation about the end of an era. For Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ), the diagnosis is clear: the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) is inseparable from its leader. According to him, « the CAQ is very much François Legault’s creation. » The observation is brutal, but it sums up what many are thinking: Legault can leave the party, but the party cannot leave Legault. The former PQ member built his entire career on a bold gamble, that of a « third way. » Neither a staunch sovereignist nor a blind federalist. Not on the left, but not quite on the right either (more interventionist, in any case, than the Conservatives). This model triumphed in 2018, breaking forty years of alternating Liberal and PQ governments. But with the recent decline of the CAQ, PSPP sees this as proof that this recipe always ends up failing. An old Quebec habit: the fear of conflict However, this desire to break out of the usual duel is nothing new. Historian Éric Bédard reminds us that the third way « runs through our history in dotted lines. » Why? Because Quebecers, a minority people, have a deep-seated aversion to division. We often tell ourselves that if we are divided, we are weak. So when tensions rise too high, we seek compromise. As early as the late 19th century, Honoré Mercier was already trying to create a « National Party » to overcome the war between Liberals and Conservatives. Maurice Duplessis drew inspiration from this for the Union Nationale. Even more surprising: when it was founded in October 1968, even René Lévesque’s Parti Québécois presented itself as a third way, a middle ground between unbridled capitalism and hardline unionism. It was only with the Quiet Revolution that the debate became frozen on the sovereignist-federalist axis. Since then, others have tried to break this mold, such as the ADQ in 1994, which eventually merged with the CAQ in 2012.
Electoral system and return to reality
credit: saviezvousque.net (IA image) If these centrist coalitions emerge regularly, it is also due to our voting system. Martin Papillon, a professor at the University of Montreal, explains that our single-member plurality system (as in the United States) pushes parties to cast a wide net in order to win. To grow, they must appeal to the center. But beware: according to the expert, « this is never sustainable. » Old divisions always end up resurfacing. Is this what is happening today? Not so fast. The political scientist qualifies his statement: the CAQ’s current unpopularity could simply be the natural wear and tear of power after two terms, rather than the death of the model. Moreover, while the PQ is rising in the polls, its sovereignist option has not necessarily changed. Still, for skeptics such as former senator André Pratte, this stance is an « illusion . » Speaking on ICI Première, he stated that, in the end, there are only two options: to separate or not to separate. Former PQ minister Louise Beaudoin echoes this sentiment, arguing that while Quebecers may like the idea of not having to choose, sooner or later they will be « forced to make a choice. »
Is the model still relevant?
credit: saviezvousque.net (AI image)
Not everyone is abandoning the third way, however. Guy Laforest, who helped found the CAQ in 2011, still defends the relevance of this option. For this political scientist at Laval University, refusing « unconditional allegiance to Canada » while rejecting « independence at any cost » remains a valid position.
He goes even further: in a world dominated by American neo-imperialism, this pragmatism could well become an asset again in the years to come. The third way may be on its last legs, but history has shown us that in Quebec, it always ends up rising from the ashes.
According to the source: ici.radio-canada.ca Created by humans, assisted by AI.
