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.<\/p>\n
The QS manifesto focuses less on the structure of an independent Quebec than on the principles that should shape it.<\/p>\n
That approach differs sharply from the PQ\u2019s 524-page Livre bleu sur l\u2019ind\u00e9pendance du Qu\u00e9bec<\/a>. Unveiled last month, it lays out proposals<\/a> for everything from government institutions and armed forces to passports and currency, but leaves out Indigenous issues pending consultations.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n For QS, sovereignty is also a way to pursue goals that it argues are impossible within Canada. The party describes Canada as a \u201cpetro-state\u201d that is failing to address climate change and says independence would allow Quebec to pursue a greener future.<\/p>\n The role of the state<\/p>\n For QS, independence is not just about transferring powers from Ottawa to Quebec City.<\/p>\n The party argues that sovereignty should be used to build a more socially progressive and environmentally sustainable Quebec.<\/p>\n That means investing heavily in social housing, schools, health care, public transit and climate action, and creating \u201cmore inclusive and participatory\u201d democratic institutions.<\/p>\n The PQ rejects the idea that sovereignty should come with a predetermined ideological direction, saying it would not presuppose \u201ca fixed and eternal ideological vision of Quebec\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n The party says sovereignty should create the democratic framework for Quebecers to choose governments of the left or right over time.<\/p>\n The constitutional process<\/p>\n QS says a constituent assembly created with Indigenous participation would draft a constitution after broad public consultations. <\/p>\n The proposed constitution would be put to a referendum. That vote would give Quebec \u201call the necessary legitimacy\u201d to declare independence, the party says.<\/p>\n The PQ\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Relations with Indigenous nations<\/p>\n QS places Indigenous self-determination at the centre of its sovereignty project.<\/p>\n It envisions an independent Quebec as a \u201cplurinational\u201d state built on nation-to-nation relations between Quebec and First Nations and Inuit.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s colonial legacy, including the Indian Act and resource decisions imposed on Indigenous communities.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s sovereignty strategy, with the election only months away.<\/p>\n The issue is politically sensitive. Indigenous leaders strongly opposed<\/a> the CAQ government\u2019s efforts to adopt a written Quebec constitution, arguing they had been excluded from the process<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite their differences, the two sovereignist parties share a common challenge: convincing Quebecers that now is the time to leave Canada.<\/p>\n A L\u00e9ger 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 \u2014 52 per cent \u2014 opposed sovereignty.<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n The Gazette\u2019s On Quebec Politics newsletter by Andy Riga breaks down key election issues, from polling shifts to legislative manoeuvring to ideas circulating in francophone commentary that don\u2019t make it into English-language coverage.<\/p>\n To sign up,\u00a0visit this page<\/a>\u00a0and check the box labelled \u201cOn Quebec Politics\u201d before providing your email address.<\/p>\n
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