Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois plays his political future

The coronation of Ruba Ghazal as female co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, amid near general indifference, illustrates the long lethargy of the left party in popular favor. And the outlook is bleak.

The possible relaunch of the Liberal Party of Quebec with Pablo Rodrigez obscured worrying data for solidarity, during the publication of the most recent survey from the Léger firm.

With 14% support, QS brings up the rear behind the liberals among the parties represented in the National Assembly.

This is one point less than in the October 2022 election, and two points less than in the 2018 election, when Manon Massé was able to collect 16% of the vote.

To say that the party has stagnated since Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois took the reins is an understatement.

According to pollster Jean-Marc Léger, if the general election were held tomorrow, the party would even collect a score lower than 14%, since its support in the age group who go to the polls more often, those 55 and over, are at a starvation level of 6%.

QS no longer even dominates among young people, now being neck and neck with the PQ among 18-34 year olds.

For comparison, since the 2022 election, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has completely doubled the support for the PQ, which has gone from 15 to 32%.

Little impact

However, the solidarity groups experienced a race to succeed Manon Massé, a race which was intended to be an opportunity for increased visibility in a fiercely contested media space.

Despite the quality of the candidates on the starting line, the co-spokesperson debates did not really move the needle.

The narrow election of Émilise Lessard-Therrien, a former MP absent from Parliament, then exposed the party’s weaknesses.

The lack of support for her to play her role alongside GND pushed her towards the exit.

His criticism of Nadeau-Dubois and the core staff around him caused a crisis.

The National Council of Saguenay, where the project to overhaul the political program was adopted last May, allowed GND to have more free rein, but also demonstrated that a certain fringe of activists had abandoned the fight for its ideals.

In the corridors, Ruba Ghazal had been tasked with immediately defusing those who had expressed their anger on the microphone just before.

Sovereignist… or not

Ironically, it is one of the members of the caucus most advocating sovereignty who finds herself, without opposition, the new co-spokesperson on her second attempt.

Ruba Ghazal will have to be convincing by preaching in his own party.

According to the Léger poll in October, there are only 34% of QS supporters in favor of Quebec independence!

Already, in February 2023, we were surprised that less than one in two QS supporters (43%) agreed with the party’s sovereignist option.

It hasn’t gotten better.

Furthermore, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois has burned his wings on different themes in 2022, whether it is the taxation of the assets of the “rich”, the climate emergency or eco-taxation.

A little stuck in the constitutional contest between the PQ, the CAQ and the Liberals, GND chose to focus on concrete gains in Parliament.

Thus, after having obtained the expansion of protection against housing evictions, for more seniors, he is leading the fight this session so that dinners are offered to all schoolchildren in Quebec in exchange for a voluntary contribution parents.

This is commendable.

On the other hand, the same strategy did not allow the NDP to rise in the polls at the federal level.

Now accompanied by Ruba Ghazal, GND will have to right the ship, otherwise the next electoral campaign could be its last.

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