Last month’s Liberal policy convention in Montreal was more about convening than policy: the corridors of the Palais des Congrès were packed with 4,500 delegates networking away, while the policy sessions were sparsely attended. I wandered the halls to eavesdrop on gossip, attending a few policy sessions.
One panel impressed me: under the title “Building Canada Strong,” the speakers were Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, Privy Council President Dominic Leblanc, Heritage Minister Marc Miller and Public Works Minister Joel Lightbound.
All are fluently bilingual, each is smart, articulate and represents an important constituency: Montreal (Miller and Joly); rural Quebec (Champagne); Quebec City (Lightbound); francophones outside Quebec (Leblanc).
As the Oct. 5 provincial election draws nearer, the tone of Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has become more shrill and anti-Canada. He is preparing the way for a “Oui” in the referendum campaign he will, no doubt, promote ad infinitum over a four-year mandate if elected. I have been casting about for a group to deliver a counter message for the “Non.” The convention panel might be the group.
The PQ leader, known as PSPP, is a compelling orator. He has distilled his campaign into three key messages:
- Canada is a colonialist country with no legitimacy, which undermines Quebec’s potential;
- An independent Quebec will reap a $90-billion windfall, as taxes sent to Ottawa do nothing for Quebecers and are wasteful duplication of services;
- Freed from Canada’s “oppression,” Quebec will be one of the richest countries in the world, like Denmark or Sweden.
Of course, each of these arguments is fallacious, notably the one about the $90 billion sent to Ottawa. But without anyone to explain federal government spending on dozens of ministries, a military, a foreign service, regulatory bodies, a national police force, prisons, an intelligence service and more, the average Quebecer believes PSPP’s nonsense.
And this is not your grandmother’s PQ.
As a reporter at the National Assembly in 1977, I recall the first cabinet of René Lévesque, composed of gentlemen like Jacques-Yvan Morin, Dr. Denis Lazure and Claude Morin. They talked about “sacrifices” for separation and Lévesque’s dream of “sovereignty-association” with Canada. Plamondon’s rhetoric is harsh, dismissive and radical, and he seems to believe it.
While federalists hope new provincial Liberal leader Charles Milliard will swoop in and steal victory from Plamondon, a split in the vote between new CAQ Premier Christine Fréchette, Conservative Eric Duhaime and Milliard will probably result in a PQ victory. This should force the Carney government to develop a strategy in response.
In the 1980 referendum campaign, there was a travelling roadshow for the “Non” composed of Jean Chretien, Créditiste Camil Samson and a smattering of Quebec politicians. They crisscrossed Quebec, speaking in church halls and arenas, building support.
The 1995 “Non” campaign by contrast had a boring list of speakers in boring venues, and was overwhelmed by the charismatic Lucien Bouchard.
Enter the “dream team” of Miller, Joly, Champagne, Leblanc and Lightbound. They could match the star power of PSPP and his crew, and offer substantive rebuttals to his preposterous accusations.
Each one knows their files and the financial, social and economic issues associated with separation. Each can talk credibly about the consequences of a “Yes” vote without being accused of fomenting fear. And to Péquistes who claim francophones are second-class citizens in Canada, each has made it big on the national and global stage.
There is no doubt such a group needs to be formed, with clear strategy, messaging and outreach. Church halls and arenas may give way to Zoom and streaming, but it must convince the average Quebecer federalism works.
While some Quebecers will call for a strategy for “Constitutional renewal,” separatists like Plamondon just want their own country. And confronting an existential threat from the United States isn’t the best time to recommend greater devolution of powers. No, this campaign must be fought on Canada’s merits. And they are many.
Famed columnist Lysiane Gagnon compared Quebec politics with hockey, saying “Québécois like a team that fights to win, and that’s the one they will support, or respect.”
A “dream team” of smart, attractive francophone ministers could boost the federal side’s referendum scoresheet. The draft for star players should begin now.
Andrew Caddell is a veteran journalist and columnist. He writes a regular column for The Hill Times, which covers Parliament and the federal government. He is president of the Task Force on Linguistic Policy, a grassroots group that was formed in the wake of Quebec’s Bill 96, which overhauled the province’s Charter of the French Language.