An Election Endorsement
So, an election is happening in Quebec. It's now, and whether the
world ends before Christmas or not we'd be best to have some idea of what we're
getting ourselves into. Last election, I waited until the end to
endorse, but this time, I'm getting out de l'avance.
There is more at stake here than a simple checkbox, and we can't
allow this opportunity to go to waste- we have marched in the
thousands demanding elections, and here they are.
As
always, let's make some assumptions. Assume that your personal
political project is to bring about a fair, equitable society, where
no-one struggles to meet their basic material needs, and where
everyone has access to a robust social support network helping them
achieve their personal goals over the whole course of their life.
Assume that you oppose coercion, force, violence, and repression in
all their forms, and that the only legitimate way to bring about
lasting change is with your ballot, which cannot exist independent of
a free, fair, and open electoral system.
Assume
that you live in a stable, mature society which could realistically
implement most or all of the projects necessary to bring it about
this vision on a meaningful scale, at a meaningful pace. Assume that
if you and the thousands like you fail, you risk the complete
obliteration of modern civilization as we know it, and you yourself
personally will watch waves wash away Miami and the clouds turning
black as coal and-
Too
much to assume, maybe. But assuming that you are in favour of an
equitable social program, and that you do believe that we're getting
into 'now or never' territory, your options might seem pretty dire.
The Liberals have been in power forever, the party is mired in
corruption and collusion, and a major reason we're all so sure
there's going to be an election in the first place is that the really
greasy stuff is going to start oozing from the Commission into this
very same corruption in the Fall. His handling of the student strike
was pitiful, and as several other commentators have noted, he seems
to have been motivated in major part by political gain. He is out,
whether he's 'the federalist' or not.
Touching
the PQ in a blog post in English is like picking up a live grenade,
so I'll just gently toss it along by saying that Pauline's central
plank is that Quebec should separate post-haste from Canada, and that
this is not an approach I favour. Your mileage may vary. The ADQ, I
mean the Québécor party, I mean the CAQ, is, you guessed it, a
joke. Their principal contribution to the sovereignty question is "Do
nothing for ten years!" Their approach to tuition? "Raise
fees by 25% less!" If these are the solutions they favour, they
apparently don't understand the problems.
Which
brings us to Québec Solidaire, and my endorsement. Now, don't get me
wrong, in a good number of places they're both going to get creamed-
that's not the point. This is the party fighting for a real change to
the status quo. This is the party who understands fairness and
community. This is the party stacked with folks who feel like you and
I do about the future, and our place within it. This is a vote for a
positive change, just like, dare I say, the NDP in 2011.
Now
I hear you, this party is nominally sovereigntist, so doesn't this
make them toxic like the PQ? In a word: no. QS' position is to
initiate sovereignty proceedings once the social project is
accomplished- once, in other words, we live in a free and fair
society. Once our dream is realized, do I care about whose face is on
my postage stamp, so long as that face shares my dreams for society?
Besides, the point is obvious- no 'sovereigntist' politician can do
anything to break up my country, because if or when the day comes, I
will have my voice, my ballot, and every citizen theirs. The people
will decide who will rule them, as is just and proper.
No,
the PQ is not toxic because they are sovereigntist, they are toxic
because they are not progressive. If QS are nominal sovereigntists,
then the PQ are nominal leftists- their well-entrenched structure has
an interest in the maintenance of their privileged position in Quebec
society, as inheritors of the Quiet Revolution and as someday kings
of their castle. The PQ is not interested in defending Quebec from
the hand of international capital, with its drive towards the bottom
line at a break back pace. The PQ is not interested, excuse me, in
the folks like me that come to Quebec because it is the best example
of a rich, modern, multicultural society, but rather they see seem to
see Montréal's cultural tapestry as an aberration to be corrected,
and not a model to be emulated for the 21st century.
I
paraphrase myself from April 2011: My Quebec is a place where no-one
wonders where their next meal will come from, how they will pay their
tuition, or where they'll spend a week of January nights. My Quebec
is not about unlimited material wealth, it is about unlimited
opportunity. The only party I trust to fight for these goals on my
behalf is Quebec Solidaire. The only party filled with people and
ideas strongly connected to my communities- the arts community, the
youth community, and the student community, to name a few- is Quebec
Solidaire.
Over
the next month, we will be harangued by shit from all quarters.
Social justice will be demeaned as communism, respect will be taken
for weakness, and ideas will be eaten in soundbites. We have to keep
our eyes on the prize, and use what little power we have to send a
message. This election campaign, let's move. Let's get our vision out
there. Let's inject our voice into the debate, and amplify those who
truly speak on our behalf. Let's do more, in fact, than send a
message- let's win.
Quebec,
together.
