CAQ Leadership Hopefuls Face Skepticism Over Promises of Change and Dialogue
With Quebec's provincial election approaching and the Coalition Avenir Québec leadership campaign underway, voters are bracing for the predictable flood of political promises. Two CAQ MNAs have entered the race to succeed party leader François Legault: Bernard Drainville, a former education minister, and Christine Fréchette, who served as minister of economy, innovation and energy before announcing her candidacy.
Strategic Distancing from Unpopular Leadership
While it's understandable why Fréchette and Drainville need to strategically distance themselves from a party and leader that have hit historic lows in popularity, some of their bold assertions would require English-speaking Quebecers to suffer from acute collective amnesia to be believed. Drainville has positioned himself as "the candidate of change" and the "candidate of the real world," but these promises ring hollow given his political baggage.
As a former Parti Québécois member and later CAQ minister, Drainville carries a legacy of consistent controversy. His introduction of the PQ's discriminatory Charter of Values in 2013 targeted minorities, and as education minister, he focused on identity politics and cultural conformity while teacher shortages and underfunded student services persisted.
Contradictory Claims of Nationalism and Inclusion
It's particularly odd to hear Drainville market himself as an agent of change while simultaneously saying Quebec "needs a nationalist voice" and promising a more rightward shift if elected. This doesn't represent change but rather reinforces the CAQ's brand of parochial tribalism and authoritarian tendencies.
Both candidates have indicated they hope to reach out to the English-speaking community, with Fréchette stating, "I intend to have a discussion, a dialogue with English people in Quebec. They are part of Quebec." However, as one journalist noted, the word "dialogue" makes it sound "like we're a foreign hostile power," while to others it evokes someone de-escalating a hostage situation.
Pattern of Political Pandering
The skepticism from minority communities stems from a familiar pattern of political pandering. Like clockwork, Quebec politicians appear to remember the anglophone community exists (and has votes) when elections approach, only to ignore or even scapegoat them when politically convenient.
In 2018, Legault pitched the CAQ as a solid alternative and promised to respect English-language rights, declaring "My government will be your government" and participating in an English-language debate. By 2022, he refused to participate in an English debate while anglophones were reeling from Bill 96, which limits their access to public services.
Just recently, The Gazette reported the CAQ is standing firm on another frontal attack on anglophone institutions by maintaining its university tuition hikes for non-francophone students from outside the province.
Empty Promises and Historical Context
Forgive the cynicism, but Quebec's minorities have often been reassured they're part of Quebec before elections, only to be ignored afterward. The courtship is always short-lived. It's difficult to take Fréchette or Drainville at their word when both have been longtime members of a government that has repeatedly targeted anglophones and their institutions.
Drainville's declaration that the CAQ has been "incredibly inclusive" seems profoundly self-unaware and contradicts his actions as education minister. Bill 94, which expands the ban on religious symbols in schools to support staff and volunteers, further stigmatizes religious minorities and erodes their sense of belonging.
None of this resembles inclusion, regardless of how loosely one defines the word. If the CAQ hopes minorities have short memories, they may discover that Je me souviens applies to all Quebecers equally, serving as a powerful reminder of historical promises and their subsequent betrayals.
