After the announcement of Justin Trudeau’s departure, eyes are turning to possible future Prime Minister Pierre Poilievre. This is good, because he has just given an interview to Canadian intellectual Jordan Peterson, which has been viewed more than 40 million times. This interview is the talk of English Canada, less so in Quebec.
As this interview was only in English, it attracts more attention in the rest of Canada. But there is more. Because as much as the Conservative leader effectively communicates his harsh criticism of the “socialist policies” of the Trudeau government, he is limited when it comes to Quebec. He speaks little about it during this interview and when he does it is to associate the rise of the PQ with the economic failure of this government. However, this rise has more to do with the nationalist positions of the PQ than with this failure.
In this regard, this interview tells us that Mr. Poilievre has certain positions likely to please Quebec nationalists, such as those in favor of the primacy of national identity over ethnic identities and a reduction in immigration. However, this is far from sufficient, because it does not adapt its positions to Quebec and the Canadian Francophonie, for example by not specifying that in Quebec this predominant national identity must be Quebecois or that this reduction must not be not harm French-speaking immigration.
However, he would just have to take inspiration from Stephen Harper who, under pressure from the Bloc, recognized the Quebec nation. It could also do so in matters of taxation, in particular by committing to replacing health transfers with a transfer of the GST to Quebec, as proposed in the report of a committee that I had the chance to co-chair, this which would reduce the force of the very “socialist” Canadian health law. This way, he could get his ideas talked about…and not just in English Canada.
