Less red tape and bureaucracy, law and order, reduced immigration, rollbacks on environmental issues: the political landscape in Quebec is shifting to the right. How can this phenomenon be explained? The Canadian Press investigated.
Generally associated with the centre-left, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s Parti Québécois (PQ) has taken a “surprising” turn to the right, according to Frédéric Boily, a political science professor at the University of Alberta, who nevertheless believes the party is not completely abandoning its “social-democratic DNA.”
“We have a less interventionist stance on economic issues,” the political scientist specializing in right-wing politics pointed out in an interview with The Canadian Press.
At a national council meeting last November, “St-Pierre Plamondon said he wanted to “replace the open bar of subsidies with tax relief” for small-and medium-sized businesses, and “massively reduce red tape and bureaucracy.”
From an identity perspective, there’s a bidding war between the PQ and the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ). PQ members regularly accuse the government of not going far enough on issues such as protecting French, reducing immigration, and secularism.
“There’s a pool of voters available for a party a bit further to the right, and given the CAQ’s difficulties, that could explain it,” argued Boily.
‘Shock treatment’
Premier François Legault announced a major shift to the right during his September cabinet shuffle.
He promised a “shock treatment” to “cut deep into bureaucracy.” More recently, Treasury Board President France-Élaine Duranceau announced plans to eliminate the equivalent of 5,000 positions in the public sector.
The issue of law and order has also become a priority for the CAQ. Public Security Minister Ian Lafrenière recently tabled legislation to prohibit criminal groups from displaying their colours.
Meanwhile, his colleague, Labour Minister Jean Boulet, has launched a campaign against unions with bills designed to tighten their grip.
Identity has also made a strong comeback with initiatives to strengthen secularism. Legault doubled down on the issue of immigration, stating that Quebec was “overwhelmed.” The subsequent announced decrease in the number of immigrants, however, was moderate.
With the PQ soaring in the polls, the CAQ is likely aware that it faces competition on this front. Added to this is Éric Duhaime’s Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ), which is breathing down the neck of Legault’s party.
“With the PCQ managing to maintain its lead over the CAQ in some polls, François Legault’s party has repositioned itself around its ADQ heritage,” explained Boily.
Quebec and federal Liberals
Positioning the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) on the political spectrum is currently difficult. Before Pablo Rodriguez’s election as leader, the party seemed to be moving back towards a more centre-right position on economic issues, notably by embracing fiscal discipline.
However, Rodriguez didn’t have time to establish a clear direction for the party before his controversial resignation last week. It remains to be seen what direction his successor will choose for the Liberals in the lead-up to the next election.
The shift to the right is more pronounced for its parent party, the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC), since Mark Carney took the helm.
Upon his election as leader, he pre-empted Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre by abolishing the carbon tax for consumers. This shift has likely paid off, as the federal Liberals have – against all odds – been re-elected for a fourth term.
Premier Carney subsequently backtracked on other environmental measures. However, the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Alberta to facilitate the construction of an oil pipeline prompted Steven Guilbeault, a former environmental activist, to resign from the cabinet in November.
Conservatives and Québec solidaire
The Conservative Party is the most openly right-wing party in Quebec, and its leader, Éric Duhaime, has long championed these themes: reducing the size of government, lower taxes, curbing union activity, and so on.
The PCQ, however, is struggling to gain representation in the National Assembly. Polls suggest it could enter parliament in the next election, unless the rightward shift of other political parties deprives it of its vital role.
Another party that risks being stifled in the next election is Québec solidaire (QS). Firmly rooted in the left, QS resists any shift to the right. However, they are struggling to maintain their position in the polls.
For Boily, QS needs to “recentre” and drop certain issues.
“QS isn’t fixated on economic issues like we see on the English Canadian left in the four Western provinces,” he argued
How can this phenomenon be explained?
According to the political scientist, our societies are facing post-pandemic anxiety that makes voters more receptive to right-wing ideas. One can think of economic anxiety related to inflation and the difficulty people face in finding housing, for example.
It’s worth remembering that during the COVID-19 pandemic, governments spent lavishly to help their populations.
“For a significant portion of the electorate, and especially those who voted Conservative in the last federal election, sound public finances are important,” Boily explained. “There’s a feeling that the government has lost control of public finances and that this will jeopardize the future. And I think that’s perhaps more prevalent among young people.”
Boily emphasizes, however, that despite the parties’ intentions to shift to the right, implementing such policies can prove arduous.
“When new programs are implemented, it’s difficult, almost impossible, for governments to reverse course. Once implemented, citizens expect services to be provided,” explained Boily.
It’s also worth noting that the federal government’s latest budget projected a significant deficit of $78.3 billion for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
What does it mean to be right wing?
The right can be divided into two subcategories: economic and nationalist.
The economic right wants lower taxes for greater individual freedom. It argues that a less regulated market fosters business development and, therefore, economic growth. Here, the state must refocus on its core missions, particularly security.
The nationalist right is more concerned with preserving identity and therefore advocates for cultural defence policies. It is not opposed to more pronounced state intervention when it comes to, for example, protecting the French language or values such as secularism.
These two right-wing factions can sometimes clash. For example, on the issue of immigration, the economic right wants more immigrants to meet market demands, while the nationalist right argues that too many risks jeopardizing the identity and culture of the host country.
They can sometimes converge on issues such as reducing the size of the state in the name of efficiency and due to a distrust of bureaucracy.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
