SHAWINIGAN – There is no doubt the Parti Québécois is preparing for an early spring election.
“We are discussing,” said Justice Minister Bertrand St-Arnaud.
PQ MNAs are holding a two-day caucus meeting in Shawinigan, after having showered the region with millions in new investment. They also organized a rally with over 200 party members in Trois-Rivières. Speculation is mounting Quebecers will go to the polls in April.
Premier Pauline Marois arrived in Shawinigan by chopper and welcomed her entire team to the Auberge des Gouverneurs.
“We will have a great caucus meeting,” she said.
The meeting is to prepare the spring parliamentary session and talk strategy. The PQ already made dozens of pre-electoral announcements in the Mauricie region and released a video ad campaign featuring the beauty of Quebec, designed to appeal to the younger generation and feed the fire of sovereignty.
“A lot of young people were not really conscious of what was going on in 1995,” said 22-year-old MNA Léo Bureau-Blouin. “That’s why it’s important to give as much information as we can because we want to convince as many young people as possible. The target of this ad campaign is sovereignty, but for sure young people are also very important for the next election.”
Last fall, Deputy Premier François Gendron didn’t see any reason for an election. Now, he says, things have changed.
“Last fall, I said there were no reasons. As far as I know, time has passed.”
The Charter of Quebec Values has polarized voters and could help the PQ win more seats in francophone ridings. In 2012, the PQ only snatched three of the nine seats available in the Mauricie-Centre-du-Québec.
“I don’t know when the next election will happen,” said the minister responsible for the charter Bernard Drainville. “I have no control over that. I have work to do moving this charter forward and I hope to get it adopted as quickly as possible.”
But the Parti Québécois is facing many challenges.
The Charbonneau commission into corruption continues to reveal close ties between the PQ and the Federation of Labour union. And the next budget – whether or not it’s tabled before the election – is sure to be written in red.
“What happened in 2013 is an extremely weak inflation rate, which was something that was not foreseen by anybody,” said Finance Minister Nicolas Marceau.
The PQ will continue to build momemtum and gauge public opinion over the next few days by multiplying good-news announcements and rehearsing attacks on Liberal leader Philippe Couillard, who will make his first appearance as opposition leader next week when the Assembly resumes sitting.
“Frankly, he’s been disappointing, a real weathervane,” said PQ House Leader Stéphane Bedard. “He’ll have to show Quebecers he has what it takes to be Liberal leader.”
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