{"id":612529,"date":"2026-04-18T14:23:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T14:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/612529\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T14:23:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T14:23:10","slug":"libman-quebecs-nationalist-narrative-gets-a-reality-check-at-the-ballot-box","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/612529\/","title":{"rendered":"Libman: Quebec’s nationalist narrative gets a reality check at the ballot box"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the sovereignist and nationalist politicians and commentators who paternalistically believe they reflect the prevailing views of the population when it comes to issues of identity, immigration or Quebec\u2019s relationship with the rest of Canada, Monday\u2019s federal byelection result in Terrebonne<\/a> came as a rude awakening. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Liberal candidate, Tatiana Auguste, a Haitian immigrant to Canada in 2008, defeated her opponent from the separatist Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois unequivocally in the traditionally nationalist stronghold northeast of Montreal that has consistently voted Bloc federally or Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois provincially in almost every election for decades.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Voters this time, however, sent a message that evidently contradicts the insular nationalist narrative that has underpinned Quebec politics in recent years \u2014 a narrative marked by: <\/p>\n

Debates of one-upmanship between the Coalition Avenir Qu\u00e9bec government and the PQ opposition on the backs of minority communities, with the adoption of laws regulating the wearing of religious symbols, public prayer, integration of immigrants, and language.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"LiberalLiberal supporters celebrate Tatiana Auguste\u2019s byelection victory in Terrebonne \u2014 \u201canother indication that Quebecers in these volatile times favour stability,\u201d writes Robert Libman. Evan Buhler \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

Railing against the federal government for its supposed incursions in Quebec\u2019s jurisdiction. This includes nationalists ripping their shirts over Ottawa\u2019s decision to intervene at the Supreme Court to question the repeated and pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause to override charter rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The premier and others blowing a gasket when Marc Miller, the minister of Canadian Identity, Culture and Official Languages, said he was \u201cfed up\u201d with the politicization of the language debate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nationalists losing their minds when Prime Minister Mark Carney suggested the aftermath of the 1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham led to the resilience of francophones and the eventual creation of modern Canada.<\/p>\n

PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, front and centre in the francophone media, condemning Carney and painting the federal system as a straitjacket that stifles Quebec\u2019s development.<\/p>\n

Despite all this, voters in Terrebonne opted for Carney\u2019s candidate, another indication that Quebecers in these volatile times favour stability, unity and peaceful coexistence. The result should serve as a warning to those who divide and promote fear and distrust among citizens.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Having painted himself into a corner by holding firm on his pledge to hold another divisive referendum on independence if he\u2019s elected, PSPP must have had trouble sleeping Monday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His lead in the polls for two years had been buoyed by the unpopularity of Fran\u00e7ois Legault in his second mandate. Christine Fr\u00e9chette, who has succeeded Legault as premier after winning the CAQ leadership, is considered more moderate on identity issues. The PQ has already published an ad<\/a> making a pitch for disaffected nationalists in the CAQ to join them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The CAQ will probably enjoy a Fr\u00e9chette honeymoon bump in upcoming polls among more moderate francophone voters, which could eat into recent Liberal gains<\/a> under Charles Milliard. But that may not last. <\/p>\n

To avoid splintering the coalition, Fr\u00e9chette has already started to play the nationalist identity card<\/a> to appease the party\u2019s harder-line flank, which largely supported her opponent, Bernard Drainville, for the leadership and includes popular Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette. Both have rallied to her, but assembling her cabinet, which she promised to reduce in size, will be a delicate balancing act.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n

Fr\u00e9chette may eventually alienate Jolin-Barrette if she doesn\u2019t fully support swift passage of his pet project, his proposed Quebec constitution, which has proved very divisive<\/a> among the population. But if she forges ahead with some of the unfinished business of the previous administration \u2014 such as pushing this controversial project \u2014 or repopulates the cabinet with too many former ministers, opponents will be quick to tarnish her with the residue of her predecessor\u2019s unpopular reign.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quebecers want to look forward with hope. Insular nationalism, harmful debates about identity and immigrants, rupture from Canada \u2014 this is not where their heads are right now, six months before the election.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The results in Terrebonne represent a refreshing change from what we\u2019ve been fed over these last few years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

x.com\/robertlibman<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Profile<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tRobert Libman is an architect and planning consultant who has served as Equality Party leader and MNA, mayor of C\u00f4te-St-Luc and a member of the Montreal executive committee.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the sovereignist and nationalist politicians and commentators who paternalistically believe they reflect the prevailing views of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":612530,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,218342,295,230663,197017,16622,66,1062],"class_list":{"0":"post-612529","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-coalition-avenir-quebec-caq","11":"tag-environment","12":"tag-parti-quebecois-pq","13":"tag-quebec-liberal-party","14":"tag-quebec-politics","15":"tag-science","16":"tag-video"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=612529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/612530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=612529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=612529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=612529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}