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Parti Québécois Leader Pauline Marois.Paul Chiasson

If the past is any indication, the crisis rocking the Parti Québécois this week has irreparably shaken Pauline Marois's leadership and cast doubt over the party's ability to achieve independence for Quebec.

No PQ leader has ever survived an internal revolt caused by skepticism over their desire to achieve sovereignty. Each time a leader deviates from the objective - placing sovereignty on the back burner - a mutiny ensues.

Party founder René Lévesque was ousted when he proposed the beau risque strategy that supported Brian Mulroney's promise to define Quebec's place in Canada. Pierre-Marc Johnson was forced to step down when he soft-pedalled sovereignty with the adoption of "national affirmation." Lucien Bouchard was constantly challenged as leader for insisting on "winning conditions" before holding another referendum, while Bernard Landry's insistence on obtaining the "moral assurance of winning" caused his demise.

Pauline Marois's fate may have been sealed with the resignation on Tuesday of a fourth caucus member in two days when Jean-Martin Aussant called on the PQ Leader to step aside. Mr. Aussant said he quit because he believes Ms. Marois lacked the credentials to win the battle for Quebec independence.

"If you see politics in the context of grabbing power and managing the province, maybe she is the right person," Mr. Aussant said in announcing his resignation. "If you see politics in terms of winning a referendum [on sovereignty]as soon as possible, I don't see that coming with Ms. Marois."

What Mr. Aussant and other pro-active sovereigntists want is the opportunity to govern a country. And the current PQ leadership hasn't been able to persuade them that they will hold a referendum on sovereignty any time soon.

"I came into politics to achieve sovereignty and I don't think that the current leadership of the Parti Québécois will get us there," Mr. Aussant said.

Former PQ premier Jacques Parizeau was the only party leader who refused to dilute the option. He was also the only one to define a clear plan on how to achieve it. Disappointed and bitter, Mr. Parizeau quit after losing the 1995 referendum by the slimmest of margins. And while his legacy lives on within the sovereignty movement, his successors have refused to follow in his footsteps.

The hardline sovereigntists will argue that since then, the PQ has been unable to find its way. While 40 per cent of Quebeckers still support sovereignty, according to several public opinion polls over the years, the party has been reluctant to capitalize on those numbers.

"People constantly ask us if we are really going to achieve sovereignty? Do we really want to do it? I think we have to be clearer on this," said Lisette Lapointe, Mr. Parizeau's wife and one of the four PQ members who quit the caucus this week.

Even though Ms. Marois recently received the backing of 93 per cent of party delegates, the support was largely manufactured by silencing dissenting PQ voices before the convention. Now those voices have returned to haunt her. Ms. Marois's challenge will be to prove them wrong.

The PQ Leader said she has every intention of promoting sovereignty if she wins the next election.

"I will show that sovereignty is at the heart of our actions and that together we will build a country," Ms. Marois said on Tuesday. "We have a strategy and we will deploy it."

But with members of her own caucus refusing to believe her, she will have difficulty building credibility within the sovereignty movement. As long as she hesitates to define a plan that will mobilize support for independence, according to party dissenters, Ms. Marois will continue to sow the seeds of her own demise.







SOVEREIGNTY'S SWORD

Some PQ leaders have felt compelled to resign after failing to contain hardline sovereigntist dissent within the party.

RENÉ LÉVESQUE

  • The Issue: With the election of Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservatives in Ottawa in 1984 after the 1980 referendum defeat, the PQ government of René Lévesque adopted the beau risque strategy to define Quebec's place within Canada.
  • The Outcome: Seven months later, Mr. Lévesque, his government in shambles, stepped down as party leader and was replaced by Pierre-Marc Johnson.

PIERRE-MARC JOHNSON

  • The Issue: After losing the 1985 election, the PQ placed sovereignty on the back burner and sought instead to obtain more powers from Ottawa in what was called "national affirmation."
  • The Outcome: Mr. Johnson realized that his frail leadership could not sustain the rebellion within party ranks and stepped down, paving the way for Jacques Parizeau to become PQ leader in 1988.

LUCIEN BOUCHARD

  • The Issue: Mr. Bouchard tackled the provincial deficit instead of mounting a renewed drive to achieve sovereignty after the narrow loss in the 1995 referendum.
  • The Outcome: Fed up with constant attacks on his leadership, Mr. Bouchard announced in January, 2001, that he was stepping down .

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