Word of the week | Mix

What is the word that caught our attention in the news this week? What does it reveal? Our columnist looks into the question.

Pablo Rodriguez can be said to be “in the mix,” even if he is running for the leadership of a party that is not really “in the mix.” At least for now.

What are we talking about? What is “the mix”?

Credit must be given to the colleagues in the Sports section who decoded this new expression that appeared in the vocabulary of the Montreal Canadiens’ management last spring. It was team owner Geoff Molson who first referred to the “mix,” stating that his team would “do everything to be in the mix this year.”

Intrigued, the journalists tried to understand the meaning that Mr. Molson gave to the word “mix”. It was quickly understood that he was not referring to the world of DJs or to the Thermomix of the kitchen of Chiefs!…

Right away, we think that being in the mix, for a hockey team, means making the playoffs, but it’s a little more subtle than that.

Being in the mix would be more like being on the list of teams that can aspire to make the playoffs, that are good enough to dream of it, that have real chances.

In short, being in the mix means being able to envisage a victory, but it does not necessarily mean being first.

Let’s get back to politics now.

The candidacy of federal Transport Minister and Quebec Liberal lieutenant Pablo Rodriguez is far from being a surprise. His name had been circulating for several weeks, there was even talk of a “Rodriguez” effect, even though he had not yet confirmed his interest. He did so on Thursday during a press briefing where he met the media with his spouse and daughter.

With 8% of voting intentions in a survey of Quebec voters conducted by the Léger firm, and published on August 27 (figures that do not reflect excessive enthusiasm, let’s say), we can say that the Honoré-Mercier MP is in the mix. This is not the case for Liberal MP Frédéric Beauchemin, Fred to his friends, who barely garners 1% of voting intentions, according to the same survey.

Charles Milliard, former president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Quebec, is not either with 3%. He is surpassed by François-Phillipe Champagne and Marwah Rizqy (both collected 7%) while they are not even candidates.

The first to announce his colours in view of the PLQ leadership race which, it should be noted, will officially begin next January, Denis Coderre was until very recently in the mix. The Léger poll gave him 10% of voting intentions. But the revelations of the Montreal Journal about his troubles with the taxman could well make him lose his place. Because yes, you can lose your place in the mix if you’re not careful…

Indeed, a place in the mix sometimes depends on the context. For example, in last Monday’s by-election in the riding of LaSalle–Émard–Verdun, won by the Bloc Québécois, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party was clearly not in the mix. Its candidate, Louis Ialenti, came in dead last among the four main parties in the running, 4,586 votes behind his closest opponent, Craig Sauvé of the NDP.

On the other hand, when you look at the CPC’s performance across the country, then the party is clearly in the mix for the next federal election.

Similarly, the Bloc Québécois is not in the mix at the federal level, but it is certainly in the mix within Quebec.

We understand better what the mix means. Except that the coach Canadian Martin St-Louis came to complicate things this week.

The mix is ​​all well and good, but for the Montreal club to get there, its players have to behave like hockey players, not like men who “play hockey.” That assumes they are able to play THE game and not just THEIR gamethe coach said.

This is advice that applies to all aspiring PLQ leaders, especially the most serious ones. We do not doubt for a single moment that they know how to do politics, they are naturals, professionals. They have experience.

But will they be able to play their part with their team, or are they there for their own personal interest, to play politics for the simple pleasure of playing politics?

The Quebec Liberals will choose their new leader on June 14 in Quebec City. Like in hockey, we dream of a training camp before the big day to see the aspiring leaders evolve and show what they’ve got. We’d like to see some role-plays to see who stands out in the face of adversity, through their endurance and team spirit.

I use the masculine gender wisely here. Because in the Quebec Liberal Party, women, unfortunately, are still not in the mix…

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