(Quebec) After experiencing the “pain” of the shock resignation of co-spokesperson Émilise Lessard-Therrien, the parliamentary wing of the party puts balm on its wounds by highlighting the adoption of a law which imposes a three-year moratorium on evictions and which better protects senior tenants.
“We are going to say it frankly, what was difficult for Québec solidaire this session was the departure of Émilise. It created a lot of pain,” said Christine Labrie, her interim successor, on Friday during an end-of-session review.
But Ms. Labrie and parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois prefer to look forward and welcome the adoption of the new law from the Minister of Housing by France-Élaine Duranceau.
“How can I summarize this Québec Solidaire session in one sentence? We said to ourselves: it was mixed, but we delivered. I think that sums up well the last few months here, in Parliament, for Québec solidaire,” said Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.
“There were a lot of skeptics in the room, a few months ago, when […] we said: there is an opportunity to expand the Françoise David law, we are capable of convincing the government,” he said. he adds. “Despite the turbulence, and it is real, no one can deny it, we delivered the biggest gain for Quebec tenants since François Legault was prime minister,” he said.
Ms. Labrie continued. “When we succeed in making a gain like what we have just done, and making a difference in the lives of millions of people for several years, it is extraordinarily motivating, I would tell you, because every day , we are facing significant human distress,” she said.
It is “almost a miracle” for an opposition MP to have a concrete solution adopted by the government, said Ms. Labrie.
But the internal debates are not over for Québec solidaire. Even if the parliamentary wing succeeded in having the “Saguenay Declaration” adopted, a milestone in the “pragmatic” shift desired by Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, there remain two other important steps: the overhaul of the party statutes, and the updating of the electoral program.