Last week English-speaking Quebecers were gently reminded of the very important role we serve in this fall’s provincial election.
Élections Quebec asked if an exception could be made to Bill 96 to allow for voting information to be sent in English, as well as French, as has traditionally been done in this province. The government rejected this request. Then CAQ leader Christine Fréchette suggested she was looking into what could be done about this, and doubled down the following day, announcing no changes would be made to the rule and promising that the QR code leading to English information online would ensure no one will be denied access to information or the right to vote.
The rules are the rules, was her message. No exceptions. This after, in the launch of her bid for CAQ leadership, she claimed she intended to have a discussion with English people in Quebec, because “they are part of Quebec.” Now that’s an olive branch if I’ve ever seen one, though last week it was snapped in half.
It’s obviously not lost on the CAQ that enforcing this policy will not lose the party any votes from the communities it will affect. The percentage of voters who may have previously supported the CAQ but now choose to abandon the party because of this policy change will be slim.
The CAQ’s insistence on mailing out French-only voting information reads instead as a performative attempt to undercut the sovereigntist Parti Québécois, which as of Sept. 5, still had a lead of 29 per cent of voters’ support to the CAQ’s 24 per cent, according to Pallas Data.
Instead of engaging in an honest, good faith conversation about what policies are needed to ensure the historically English-speaking minority can get access to essential services in its mother tongue, while protecting and celebrating French language and culture, the leading parties in this election are opting to use identity politics to sow division.
Whether or not this policy has a serious effect on English voter turnout is yet to be seen. There is of course concern around how seniors will fare when asked to use a QR code. That’s why we’ve printed the complete voter information package, in English, on page 6 of this newspaper.
This latest CAQ policy tells English people, yet again, that their concerns are not a priority. The leading parties are not seeking our vote, or trying to connect with us. They don’t need us, except as pawns in their political strategies.
The conversation around language in this province is an important one, but it is not the only conversation that needs to be had. The more the leading parties rely on divisive politics to secure their own power, the further we are from finding lasting solutions for rebuilding local healthcare networks, for example.
It’s for this reason we were hoping to host one of our Conversation with the Candidates events during this election campaign. Our goal with these events, perhaps naively, has always been to move away from polarization. Unfortunately the CAQ candidate declined our invitation, and the PQ candidate has not responded to our attempts to reach her.
So we’ve shifted, and will now be hosting a more casual opportunity for voters to meet the candidates, whichever of them agree to come, and ask them questions. It will be Sept. 24 at Brauwerk Hoffman. We have extended invitations, once again, to the CAQ and PQ candidates, as well as all others running in this riding. Our goal, as always, is to connect with them, and hear from them on what they think is needed to support this corner of the province.
Sophie Kuijper Dickson
