One of the many colourful members of the crowd who came to watch the annual Saint Jean Bapiste day parade in Montreal.The Canadian Press
Faced with an increasingly cynical and volatile electorate, the Parti Québécois believes it has devised a way to win back support of disaffected sovereigntists without alienating mainstream voters.
During a party meeting on Sunday, delegates adopted a motion calling for citizen-led referendums – including on the issue of political independence. If elected, the PQ would call on legislators and the province's chief electoral officer to consult voters to define the terms and conditions by which citizens could initiate referendums.
"Support for independence is at 43 per cent," said Alain Dion, a delegate from Rimouski, referring to a recent poll that also ranked the PQ third in party standings at 25 per cent, leaving a wide gap. "The pot is beginning to boil again. With the possibility of holding a citizen-led referendum we are sending a clear signal to all sovereigntists ... that there is a means now to get the process going again."
Party Leader Pauline Marois, who strongly opposed citizen-led referendums in the past, bowed to pressure from rank and file members.
Ms. Marois has always refused to commit to holding a referendum on sovereignty. She has remained convinced that while Quebeckers weren't ready to vote on the issue again, she could still play to their nationalist sentiments by attacking federal Conservative policies, such as the promotion of the oil sands.
"We know what the remedy is. We have to liberate the Quebec economy ... Liberate Quebeckers from the oil industry and liberate Quebec from Canada," she told cheering delegates on Sunday. However, when she was asked in a news conference when she planned such liberation, her response was vague.
"At the opportune time we will, if needed, hold a referendum," Ms. Marois said. "We are not announcing that we would hold one nor are we saying we won't."
There has been real uncertainty among all political parties over what political direction the province will take since last May's federal election, when Quebec voters turned to the NDP for the first time and demolished the Bloc Québécois.
Much of the dissent within the Parti Québécois stems from Ms. Marois' ambiguity over the referendum issue. PQ MNA Stéphane Bergeron is among those who argue that the party is failing to properly gauge the mood of voters, who demand a clear message.
"Canada is transforming itself without Quebec. That is why when some say that this is not the time to achieve sovereignty, I say it is. We can't wait for so-called winning conditions, nor can we wait for the 'opportune time,' " Mr. Bergeron said. "Not only is sovereignty necessary and urgent, but it is what has to be done at the current time."
The uncertainty in voter allegiance has even allowed for the emergence of a new party, the Coalition Avenir Quebec under former PQ minister François Legault. He hopes to repeat the NDP's success by offering to put a lid on the ongoing debate between sovereigntists and federalists. As a result, the CAQ has emerged as the most popular party, according to public opinion polls.
"Cynicism among voters has never been higher," said Brigitte Legault, the former director of operations and main adviser in Quebec for the Liberal Party of Canada. Ms. Legault – no relation to the party leader – is one of several federal Liberals to join the CAQ in its bid to unseat Premier Jean Charest's government, which has been crippled by numerous allegations of corruption. "The old parties have lost sight of what people want," she added.
While Ms. Marois juggles with her referendum strategy, the CAQ is positioning itself as a party of change, attracting support away from the PQ. Some PQ members fear that the current uncertainty over the sovereignty debate could lead to its demise.
Quebec politics: a guide
QUEBEC LIBERAL PARTY
When he's not at such meetings as the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jean Charest is touring the province promoting his Plan Nord. The development of the North through major mining projects has become the backbone of the Liberal's re-election bid. Mr. Charest contends that his government managed Quebec through the last recession, saying it's not the time to place the province's uncertain economic future in the hands of an untested party like the CAQ. However, recent closures, job losses and the inability to shake allegations of corruption are playing havoc with Mr. Charest's pre-election strategy.
PARTI QUÉBÉCOIS
The PQ, in demanding more autonomy from Ottawa, is defining itself as the only opposition to the Conservative government in Ottawa by standing up for provincial interests. Stephen Harper has adopted positions on climate change, gun control and young offenders that aren't popular in Quebec. The PQ is positioning itself as the party that can stand up to Ottawa and protect the social values and interests of Quebeckers. Mr. Harper's recent proposal to modify the Old Age Security program has fuelled the debate – the PQ contends that neither the Liberals nor the CAQ have the backbone to fend off the federal threat.
COALITION AVENIR QUÉBEC
The CAQ calls itself the only party that can offer real change. On the issue of economic stewardship, the party sounds similar to the Liberals. However, it has proposed some untried measures to deal with such issues as health spending and education, such as abolishing school boards. But the right-of-centre CAQ isn't plagued by the Liberals' corruption allegation problems. Leader François Legault argues that sovereignty is not the way forward, but neither is the old way of the Liberals.
Rhéal Séguin