(The following article is from the January 1-31, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)

By Robert Luxley

As polls indicated, Québec's Liberal (minority) government under Jean Charest won a third term on Dec. 8, managing to gain a narrow majority in the National Assembly. The Parti Québecois regained the role of official opposition which it lost in 2007 at the hands of Mario Dumont's Action Démocratique.

     Called immediately after the federal election, the Québec vote saw a turnout of 57%, one of the lowest participation rates in its history. Compared with the March 2007 election, the number of votes dropped by more than 720,000.

     The results at first glance seem hardly surprising, when one considers that a majority of people felt a certain cynicism that Charest's election call was motivated by his lead in the polls. The campaign itself was dull, the main parties conveying essentially the same promises. Moreover, the federal political crisis sidelined the provincial campaign from public attention.

     However, the low participation rate is mainly due to the ADQ's collapse. Indeed, the ADQ lost nearly 700,000 votes compared to the 2007 election. The Liberals increased their votes by about 52,000, and the PQ by 16,000.

     In 2007, "surfing" on a racist campaign conducted by some media outlets around the debate on "reasonable accommodation," the ADQ surprisingly moved from third party status to the official opposition. But the poor performance of its deputies in the National Assembly, and its ultra-conservative policies in the context of an economic crisis, cost the ADQ much credibility in the eyes of the electorate. With the resignation of Mario Dumont, the survival of this extreme right party is seriously threatened.

     Despite the refusal of the QLP and the PQ allow Québec Solidaire (QS) to participate in the leaders' debate, and limited coverage in the mainstream media, the left-wing party ran an excellent campaign. The QS spokespersons, Francoise David and Amir Khadir, made a tour of Quebec, revealing every week the main aspects of a program which incorporates many demands of the unions and popular movements: the development of transportation and railway transport; nationalization of wind energy; poverty reduction by increasing the minimum wage; investment in social housing; improved labour standards, such as vacations and holidays; declaration of March 8 and May 1 as statutory holidays; easier access to unionization; repeal of all anti-union laws adopted by the Charest government in 2003; investment and development of public health services and education; recognition of indigenous nations and their right to self-determination; the fight against discrimination; gender equality.

     Compared to 2007, the QS received nearly 22,000 votes less. This is partly explained by the overall decline in the turnout, but it is likely that some sovereigntist voters returned to the PQ, especially following the "Quebec bashing" launched by the Conservatives in English Canada during the federal political crisis.

     With limited resources, the QS focused its energies in the Montreal ridings where its chief spokespersons were candidates. This tactic succeeded, because Francoise David placed second in Gouin riding, and Amir Khadir was elected in Mercier. His election will give QS a wider forum and a credibility that should help the party in the future.