In a democracy like ours, you’d normally seek to add up voices, not subtract them.
But these days in Quebec politics, some parties are sadly denying a significant portion of our province’s population access to the relevant information they need to make sound decisions ahead of this fall’s general election.
As if their vote didn’t matter. As if they were not even worth the effort, for a few hours one single evening, of debating in their language issues that matter to them — of talking to them directly, basically.
That’s the message that some major provincial parties have sent to Quebec’s English-speaking community by refusing to take part in the official leaders’ debate that a consortium of English-language media — including The Gazette — was seeking to organize this fall.
A disappointing, deplorable decision that impoverishes a democratic process which should be as inclusive as possible, especially at a time when voter turnout is, election after election, becoming a growing concern.
Last spring, the consortium sent out a formal invitation to all party leaders. Within 24 hours, two of them — Québec solidaire and the Quebec Conservative Party — responded positively.
At respectively eight and 10 per cent support among non-francophone voters, according to the latest Léger poll, Ruba Ghazal and Éric Duhaime didn’t have much to gain at taking the risk of debating in a language they don’t necessarily master.
And yet, they had the courage to accept the consortium’s invitation — and must be commended for doing so.
Meanwhile, the Parti Québécois and the Coalition Avenir Québec, just like in 2022, refused to participate in such an important exercise.
Although perhaps it was to be expected from the PQ, the decision somehow surprised coming from Christine Fréchette, whom just a few weeks ago declared during an interview on CJAD that she wanted to “have a dialogue” with Quebec’s anglo community, promising a new “positive tone.”
What better opportunity to have that kind of dialogue than by participating in a provincial debate in English? Talk about speaking from both sides of your mouth.
But the most surprising decision came from the Quebec Liberals. At first, they neither accepted nor refused the invitation; they just waited.
They waited until their opponents declined the consortium’s request, and then could justify their own refusal by saying they won’t participate unless the others take part.
In other words, it looks like the Liberals hid behind the decisions of others and blamed them for their own lack of a backbone — an easy way out to avoid having their leader debate in English.
Let’s be clear: of all provincial parties, the QLP should have been the very first one to raise its hand and confirm Charles Milliard’s presence when the consortium sent out those invitations in April.
First, because it’s about speaking to their core base — to the community that has, for countless decades, been consistently faithful to their party.
Show some minimal respect and consideration to those who show up to the polls every four years to elect your MNAs.
Second, had the Liberals confirmed much earlier on their intention to attend that debate, it would have added pressure on other leaders — Fréchette chief among them — to declare they were also on board.
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If the PQ would still have maintained its refusal to participate, the consortium could simply have left an empty chair on the stage as a message to anglo voters about what Paul St-Pierre Plamondon really thinks of them.
With more than half of non-francophone voters intending to support their party, the Liberals would have been on friendly territory in an English debate. For Milliard, who’s fluent in Shakespeare’s language, it would probably have been a walk in the park — and most of all proof that he doesn’t take the anglo vote for granted.
Instead, we’ll have not one, but three official debates in French (though a labour dispute at Radio-Canada might put that one at risk) — and none in English, for a second election in a row.
What a loss, and an unfair situation, for thousands of anglo voters.
Raphaël Melançon is a public affairs consultant and political analyst. A former journalist, he previously worked as a political adviser at all three levels of government.