{"id":733900,"date":"2026-06-13T09:24:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T09:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/733900\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T09:24:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T09:24:22","slug":"why-quebecs-conservatives-should-team-up-with-quebecs-liberals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/733900\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Quebec\u2019s Conservatives should team up with Quebec\u2019s Liberals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Quebec Liberal Party leader Charles Milliard speaks during the party’s general council meeting in Sherbrooke, Que., on June 5.Graham Hughes\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

Sandy White is a Quebec-based entrepreneur, a former adviser in Stephen Harper\u2019s government, and a former member of the PLQ policy commission. <\/p>\n

Steven Taylor is an international lawyer in Montreal and was a candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada in University-Rosedale during the 2021 Canadian federal election. <\/p>\n

Quebec\u2019s federalists face a crucial and highly consequential choice ahead of the next provincial election, to be held Oct. 5. <\/p>\n

Faced with the prospect of a Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois (PQ) victory under the leadership of Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, flanked by a nationalist Coalition Avenir Qu\u00e9bec (CAQ) and a separatist Qu\u00e9bec Solidaire, Quebec could soon be plunged into a third referendum on seceding from Canada. <\/p>\n

At this turning point, a split in the federalist vote is no longer just a tactical error, it could be a mathematical guarantee of defeat. The time has come for the Parti conservateur du Quebec (PCQ) and its supporters to rally behind the only viable option capable of protecting national unity and restoring fiscal discipline: Charles Milliard.<\/p>\n

For several years, the PCQ, under the guidance of the indefatigable \u00c9ric Duhaime, has successfully built a political base to promote conservative policies in Quebec while being a part of the federalist camp. However, a political movement must one day choose between permanent protest and the actual exercise of power. A fractured federalist coalition only helps the PQ. The reality of the current electoral dynamics demands consolidation.<\/p>\n

Konrad Yakabuski: Carney\u2019s Clarity Act comments only help the Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2026, the PCQ and the Parti lib\u00e9ral du Qu\u00e9bec (PLQ) are fundamentally aligned on the issues that matter to federalist voters: economic growth, opposition to a sovereignty referendum, support for business, development of the energy sector, improving health care, and lowering the tax burden. The PLQ remains an undeniable force in Montreal and the Outaouais, while the PCQ enjoys fierce loyalty in Quebec City and regions like the Beauce. <\/p>\n

Throughout Canada, history has proven that when free-market forces consolidate their factions into a large, inclusive party, they win. Inevitably, some supporters from both camps will take offense at this rapprochement. But political maturity requires compromise. The PCQ must accept that it will never form a government on its own, while the PLQ must recognize that it cannot easily win back francophone voters in the regions outside Montreal and Gatineau without a partner. For the PLQ to regain this ground, it must run a campaign based on the free market, deregulation and economic growth. Conversely, conservatives must admit that a victory within a governing coalition is infinitely better than ideological purity in political exile.<\/p>\n

Canada was built when John A. Macdonald and George-\u00c9tienne Cartier transcended partisan differences to forge a grand coalition of moderate liberals, reformists and conservatives. They understood that national stability required a shared political home. It is time for today\u2019s federalists to draw inspiration from this founding history to shape the future of Quebec. Fortunately, Mr. Milliard embodies the ideal bridge to lead this unified movement. A former Progressive Conservative activist firmly rooted within the PLQ, Mr. Milliard understands both political cultures and possesses the credibility needed to bring these two factions together. By supporting him for Premier, free-market federalists are not compromising their principles, they are getting a realistic path to power.<\/p>\n

Based on recent polls in Quebec, a united PCQ and the PLQ could win 75 seats, placing them comfortably in majority territory, while the PQ would be limited to about 40 seats, a massive drop from its current projected trajectory of 64 seats. <\/p>\n

This result would eliminate the threat of another referendum, the mere prospect of which is already causing deep economic uncertainty, stalling capital investment, and shaking general confidence in Quebec. The choice before us demands realism. Investment, job creation, and overall business confidence depend on the stability that only a strong, free-market federalist government provides. The path forward should not be divided by forces that cancel each other out at the ballot box, as was the case in 1976 when Robert Bourassa and the PLQ faced Rodrigue Biron and the Union Nationale, leading to an electoral defeat at the hands of the PQ. <\/p>\n

For the good of Quebec\u2019s economy and for its place within a united Canada, conservatives must unite behind Mr. Milliard to make him the next Premier of Quebec. The only remaining question is: will we witness the birth of the Parti lib\u00e9ral-conservateur du Qu\u00e9bec before it is too late?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Quebec Liberal Party leader Charles Milliard speaks during the party’s general council meeting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":733901,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,49,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,889,890,884,904,885,909,910,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,66,865,61,900,892,886,883,913],"class_list":["post-733900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-alberta","tag-arts-news","tag-bc","tag-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news-video","tag-british-columbia","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canada-news","tag-canada-sports","tag-canada-sports-news","tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","tag-canadian-breaking-news","tag-canadian-news","tag-economy","tag-education","tag-environment","tag-federal-government","tag-foreign-news","tag-globe-and-mail","tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","tag-government","tag-life-news","tag-lifestyle","tag-local-news","tag-manitoba","tag-national-news","tag-new-brunswick","tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","tag-northwest-territories","tag-nova-scotia","tag-nunavut","tag-ontario","tag-pei","tag-photos","tag-political-news","tag-political-opinion","tag-politics","tag-politics-news","tag-quebec","tag-science","tag-sports-news","tag-technology","tag-travel","tag-trudeau","tag-us-news","tag-world-news","tag-yukon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733900","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=733900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/733901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=733900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=733900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=733900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}