Québec solidaire has unveiled its vision of an independent Quebec, offering a sharp contrast to the Parti Québécois blueprint ahead of the October provincial election.
For the PQ, sovereignty is a framework for self-government. For QS, it is an opportunity to build a fundamentally different society.
Published last week, QS’s 25-page manifesto, Nouveau Québec libre, says a sovereign Quebec should be “completely decolonized” and become “the first in the world to be co-constructed with First Nations, not at their expense.”
Rather than laying out a detailed model for a future country, the left-wing party proposes a constituent assembly to allow Quebecers and Indigenous Peoples to shape the institutions of a sovereign Quebec.
The QS manifesto focuses less on the structure of an independent Quebec than on the principles that should shape it.
That approach differs sharply from the PQ’s 524-page Livre bleu sur l’indépendance du Québec. Unveiled last month, it lays out proposals for everything from government institutions and armed forces to passports and currency, but leaves out Indigenous issues pending consultations.
Both parties argue the Canadian federal system is hostile to Quebec and beyond reform, and that only sovereignty would allow Quebecers to fully control their destiny.
For QS, sovereignty is also a way to pursue goals that it argues are impossible within Canada. The party describes Canada as a “petro-state” that is failing to address climate change and says independence would allow Quebec to pursue a greener future.
The role of the state
For QS, independence is not just about transferring powers from Ottawa to Quebec City.
The party argues that sovereignty should be used to build a more socially progressive and environmentally sustainable Quebec.
That means investing heavily in social housing, schools, health care, public transit and climate action, and creating “more inclusive and participatory” democratic institutions.
The PQ rejects the idea that sovereignty should come with a predetermined ideological direction, saying it would not presuppose “a fixed and eternal ideological vision of Quebec’s future.”
The party says sovereignty should create the democratic framework for Quebecers to choose governments of the left or right over time.
The constitutional process
QS says a constituent assembly created with Indigenous participation would draft a constitution after broad public consultations.
The proposed constitution would be put to a referendum. That vote would give Quebec “all the necessary legitimacy” to declare independence, the party says.
The PQ’s constitutional approach is more gradual. It proposes a provisional constitution that would come into effect after a Yes vote in a sovereignty referendum, followed years later by a permanent constitution developed through a constituent process.
Relations with Indigenous nations
QS places Indigenous self-determination at the centre of its sovereignty project.
It envisions an independent Quebec as a “plurinational” state built on nation-to-nation relations between Quebec and First Nations and Inuit.
QS argues Indigenous Peoples should have greater control over their governance, languages, cultures and territories, and frames sovereignty as an opportunity to move away from what it describes as Canada’s colonial legacy, including the Indian Act and resource decisions imposed on Indigenous communities.
Whether the PQ shares that vision remains unclear. Unlike the constitutional process and the role of the state, a comparison of their positions on Indigenous relations is not yet possible.
The PQ has not yet released its chapter on First Nations and Inuit, saying it is awaiting feedback from the communities involved. The chapter remains unpublished despite years of work on the party’s sovereignty strategy, with the election only months away.
The issue is politically sensitive. Indigenous leaders strongly opposed the CAQ government’s efforts to adopt a written Quebec constitution, arguing they had been excluded from the process.
Despite their differences, the two sovereignist parties share a common challenge: convincing Quebecers that now is the time to leave Canada.
A Léger poll last month found only 31 per cent of Quebecers would vote Yes in a referendum on sovereignty. Support was strongest among PQ voters, with 75 per cent backing independence. A majority of QS supporters — 52 per cent — opposed sovereignty.
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A Montreal native, Andy Riga has been with The Gazette since 1991. He covers politics, language and other Quebec issues, and writes the On Quebec Politics newsletter. Montréalais d’origine, Andy Riga travaille au Montreal Gazette depuis 1991. Il couvre la politique, les enjeux linguistiques et d’autres sujets, et est responsable de l’infolettre On Quebec Politics.
ariga@postmedia.com