The major players in the Legault government and hundreds of their loyal followers have descended on the city of Sherbrooke for this weekend’s CAQ annual convention.
Around 1,000 party members have gathered to discuss what they believe the party should do next, culminating with a confidence vote for Premier Francois Legault.
Legault arrived at the Centre de Foire de Sherbrooke to a a rousing ovation from party members.
“It’s not festivities, it’s more work,” explained International Relations Minister Martine Biron.
“We’re working on our program.”
Party members are voting on 32 different proposals, as they tell the government what they feel its next priorities should be.
The transition to green energy is a major theme. Members raised their hands in favour of building more hydro dams. Legault has said the province will need to build four or five new dams in the next 20 years to meet skyrocketing energy demand.
“We will go with wind farms, we’ll go with solar, we’ll go with the new turbines because we can use existing dams to get more power out of them,” said Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon. “If some energy is missing, new dams will become important.”
As proposals were debated, public sector unions protested outside the venue, kept outside the security perimeter by the dozens of police officers.
Workers are locked in fierce negotiations with the government for a new contract.
“I made several offers at the table, so I’m waiting for them to answer,” said Treasury Board president Sonia Lebel.
The confidence vote ballots will be cast on Saturday, with the results to be revealed on Sunday.
The last such vote in 2014 saw him attain 97.2 percent approval. Many, including Legault, wonder if that number could be lower this time.
“The more decisions you make, the more there are chances that some people won’t be happy about these decisions,” he said. “Still, I’m optimistic I’ll have the support of the majority of the members.”
The broken election promise of building a highway tunnel between Quebec City and Levis evoked feelings of betrayal in people living in those areas in recent months, leaving the party wondering if some members in those areas could turn their back on Legault.
Jacques Gosselin, a CAQ member living in Levis, said though he disagreed with the move, Legault will still get his vote.
“I have big confidence in him,” he said.
Members passed resolutions supporting the construction of a high speed rail network between Quebec City and Montreal, reducing taxes on overtime pay and adding electric charging stations at gas stations with more than six pumps. They rejected propositions to break the SAQ’s monopoly, and to allow people to turn right on red in Montreal.
Finance Minister Eric Girard had expressed his support for the current model of the SAQ.
“Overall, I think my inclination would be for the model that we have to stay,” he said.
Concerned members said turning right on red in Montreal would add extra danger in a time when safety around school zones is of particular concern.
However, just because members pass resolutions doesn’t mean the government will enact them.
The weekend will culminate with the premier’s big rallying speech on Sunday morning.