ipolitics.ca

Quebec’s political landscape experienced a major upheaval last May when the federal Bloc Quebecois lost its dominant role in the province. Quebec may once again find its politics shift with the addition of a new provincial political party. Last week, François Legault, a former Parti Quebecois (PQ) cabinet minister, filed the required paperwork to initiate the Coalition-Avenir-Quebec (CAQ) party. Legault will formally announce the new party on Nov. 14 in Quebec City, and aims to bring federalists and sovereigntists together under one political banner.

Although the party has not yet been launched, expectations are high. In September, the CAQ topped Léger Marketing polls, which reported that Legault could win a majority government. 

Legault wishes to bring about many changes, such as proposing populist policies that would include reinvesting savings in bonuses for good teachers, and getting rid of school and regional health boards. He also intends to defer the idea of another possible sovereignty referendum.

“In such a long-established state, it’s interesting and encouraging that new parties can emerge with such support, and have gained such a high level of publicity, too. I think it’s really interesting that a new party would move away from this idea of state sovereignty, as it seems to have gained such momentum recently,” Mill Hanson, U3 Psychology, said. “I look forward to hearing the final action plan to see if it really represents a non-centralized view.”

According to the Gazette, Jean-François Del Torchio, CAQ’s media contact, confirmed that once enough signatures have been collected and a $500 deposit has been authenticated, the party will be official. Elections Quebec requires a minimum of 100 signatures to authorize a new party.

The new party may even be ready to form a caucus in the Quebec National Assembly before Christmas, according to the Globe and Mail. Legault is putting in as much effort as possible to recruit members  of the National Assembly of Quebec from other parties, but whether his efforts will pay off depends upon whether Pauline Marois stays on as PQ Leader. Legault ranks far above Marois in popularity according to recent polls. However, if Marois is replaced by former Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe, then Legault’s success might be challenged.