Québec solidaire

Québec solidaire([ke.bɛksɔ.li.daɛ̯ʁ],lit.'Quebec Solidarity',QS) is ademocratic socialistandsovereigntistpolitical party in Quebec, Canada.The party and media outlets in Canada usually use the name "Québec solidaire" in both French and English; however, the party's name is sometimes translated as "Solidarity Quebec" or "Quebec Solidarity" in foreign English-language media.
Québec solidaire was founded on 4 February 2006 inMontrealby the merger of the left-wing partyUnion des forces progressistes(UFP) and thealter-globalizationpolitical movementOption Citoyenne, led byFrançoise David.It was formed by a number of activists and politicians who had writtenManifeste pour un Québec solidaire[fr], a left-wing response toPour un Québec lucide.Pour un Québec lucidepresented a distinctly neoliberal analysis of and set of solutions to Quebec's problems, particularly criticizing thesovereignty movementas distracting from Quebec's real issues and the Quebec social model as inefficient and out-of-date.Pour un Québec solidairepresented an alternate analysis, and later its writers formed the party Quebec solidaire, taking its name from the manifesto.
Françoise David andAmir Khadirwere named as the two spokespersons at the party's founding.
Québec solidaire's first political venture was to field a candidate,Manon Massé, in a 10 April 2006 by-election inSainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques. She received 22% of the vote. Eight years later, she became QS' third MNA.
Québec solidaire contested the2007 Quebec election.  It won 3.65% of the popular vote and received 144,418 votes, 0.21% behind theGreen Party of Quebec. They were also endorsed by the Montreal Central Council of theConfédération des syndicats nationauxwhich represents 125,000 members in Quebec. According to an analysis onCanadian Dimension,this was the first time a trade union in Quebec has endorsed a party more left-wing than theParti Québécois.
On 8 December 2008, the first Quebec solidaire candidate was elected in theprovincial election.Amir Khadirwas elected in the Montreal riding ofMercier.He won his seat for the second term in the2012 electionalong with another QS candidate Françoise David in the Montreal riding ofGouin. Subsequently, Khadir stepped down as co-spokesperson in accordance with QS party rules that stipulate one spokesperson must be from outside the legislature.André Frappier served as interim co-spokespersonuntilAndrés Fontecillawas chosen on 5 May 2013 to permanently fill the role.David and Frontecilla led the party into the2014 electionwhereManon Masséwas elected inSainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques, becoming the party's third MNA, joining David and Khadir who were both re-elected.
On 19 January 2017, Françoise David announced her immediate retirement as both party spokesperson and as a Member of the National Assembly due to her health.Massé was named the interim spokesperson, and later announced she would be a candidate for the position on a permanent basis.In March,Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, one of the leaders of the2012 Quebec student protests, joined the party as its candidate for the Gouin by-election and a candidate for party co-spokesperson. On 21 May 2017, at the party's annual convention, Massé and Nadeau-Dubois were elected as the party's spokespeople.
At the 2017 party convention, the party voted against co-operation with the Parti Québécois, and agreed to begin talks with the centre-left sovereignistOption nationaleparty.On 2 December 2017, QS party members approved the merger.On 10 December, ON members approved the merger, which gave them "collective" status within Québec solidaire.
In the2018 election, Massé was put forward as the party's candidate for premier if the party formed government; she also participated in leaders' debates.Massé brought attention to the QS due to her "unconventional" performance in the debates where she used simple, blunt language.Ultimately, QS gained 7 seats, bringing them to a total of 10, tying the Parti Québécois.
On 22 November 2018, Québec solidaire, along with Parti Québécois, were grantedofficial party statusin the legislature.On 20 March 2019, the QS was officially recognized as the second opposition party, behind the Liberals and ahead of the Parti Québécois, after a PQ MNA left the party.
On 16 May 2021, Massé announced she would hand the parliamentary leadership role to Nadeau-Dubois, and that he would be the party's candidate for premier in the upcoming2022 election. However, Massé said she would remain co-spokesperson.
The2022 general electionsaw mixed results for Québec Solidaire. The party finished second in terms of overall votes for the first time in its history, winning 15.4% of the vote, and won eleven seats, its most ever. However, the party did not form official opposition, as theLiberal Partywon 21 seats on 14.4% of the vote, and the 15.4% of the vote the party won was slightly lower than the 16% of the vote the party won in 2018. The party also lost a seat it was holding for the first time in its history, losingRouyn-Noranda–Témiscamingueto the governingCAQ. Furthermore, as with the previous election, the party once again failed to meet the threshold in terms of number of seats or popular vote percentage required for official party status (unlike the previous election, the CAQ has refused to make an exception). This left all members of Québec Solidaire, along with the Parti Quebecois, to sit as independents.
On 13 March 2023, Québec Solidaire won a 12th seat in theSaint-Henri-Sainte-Anne by-election, vacated by formerLiberalleaderDominique Anglade. This marked the highest number of seats the party has ever held, and enough for it to be entitled to official party status, having previously been granted the status on discretion.
On November 26, 2023,Émilise Lessard-Therrienwas elected co-spokesperson ofQuébec Solidaireat the party congress in Gatineau, defeatingRuba GhazalandChristine Labrie. She obtained 50.3% of the votes in the second round, against 49.7% for Ghazal.The party congress also elected Roxane Milot as President, obtaining the support of 98.4% of party members on an uncontested ballot.On April 29, 2024, Lessard-Therrien resigned as co-spokesperson, citing exhaustion.
The aim of QS's foundation was to unify the sovereigntistpolitical leftof the political spectrum inQuebecby merging theUnion des forces progressistes(UFP) party with theOption citoyennesocial movement.In addition to advocating the independence of Quebec from Canada, the party's platform identifies with the concepts ofenvironmentalism,feminism,social justice,proportional representationandparticipatory democracy,pacifism,aboriginal rights, andalter-globalism.The party also favoursimmigration,human dignity, and opposesdiscriminationincludingracism,sexism, andhomophobia.QS describes itself as asovereigntist,green,alter-globalizationist, andfeministparty.It is the most left-wing of the four parties presently represented in the National Assembly.
At the party's founding, the congress unanimously adopted a document called theDéclaration de principes(declaration of principles) which laid out the principles and values that led the two organizations to merge. The declaration of principles does not specifically endorsesocial democracyorsocialism, although it includes certain activists and tendencies that do.The document declared:
During the2022 Quebec general election, party spokesmanGabriel Nadeau-Duboisstated that endingfood wastein Quebec would be a priority of the party if in government. The party seeks to cut food waste by 50% by mandating large businesses and institutions to give unsold food to groups that would distribute the food, or to businesses that would process the food.
As with its predecessors, Québec solidaire has no party leader; instead, the party practicescollective leadership. The duties generally entrusted to the leader in most other Canadian federal and provincial parties are instead divided among the president, secretary general and two spokespeople. The party leadership is assumed by the National Coordinating Committee, composed of 16 persons elected by the founding congress. A person from the team of volunteers will always have a seat. However, as Quebec's election laws requires the appointment of a leader, the party's secretary general is thede jureparty leader recognized by theChief Electoral Officer of Quebec.The party's statutes call for it to be represented by a male and female co-spokesperson, one of whom serves in the dual role of party president. If one of the spokespeople is a member of the National Assembly, the other spokesperson remains outside of the legislature and holds the party presidency.The national spokespersons have greater visibility than the secretary general and are best known; they are sometimes referred to in the media as thede factoco-leaders of the party.
Françoise DavidandAmir Khadirwere the two spokespersons at the party's founding.Alexa Conradiwas president from the foundation of the party until June 2009 after which Françoise David was named president-spokeswoman. After the 2012 election, where Françoise David won a seat for the first time and Amir Khadir was re-elected, Khadir stepped down as co-spokesperson so a new one could be chosen from outside the legislature.André Frappier served as interim co-spokespersonuntilAndrés Fontecillawas chosen on 5 May 2013 to permanently fill the role.Gabriel Nadeau-DuboisandManon Massébecame the current co-spokespersons of the party on 21 May 2017.
The basic unit of the party is the local association. There is a local association for each of the 125 ridings in Quebec. These local associations are grouped into 19 regional associations, whose primary mandate to support the establishment of local associations. In March 2007, Québec solidaire has 61 local associations organized. Students and staff at institutions of higher education are grouped in campus associations that also participate in the democratic life of the party. Two national commissions are also part of the structure of Québec solidaire: the Political Committee and the National Commission for Women. The first is composed of 14 thematic committees and is responsible for proposing a program to members. It was responsible for drafting the electoral platform of the party in general elections of 2007. The National Commission for Women is composed of delegates from each region and is responsible for ensuring that feminism is a value which transverses the party.
Québec solidaire also includes a number of collectives, made up of members in good standing who may, in compliance with requirements, promote their respective political views within Québec solidaire. Unlike such groups did in the UFP, these groups do not have formal representation in Québec solidaire's Congress, National Council, or other party bodies.Currentcollectives include:
TheParti Communiste du Québec – Parti Communiste du Canada(PCQ-PCC) left QS following Québec solidaire's merger with Option nationale in 2017.