Clifford Lincoln: Quebec Liberal Party must reaffirm liberal principles

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The upcoming presidential election campaign for the Quebec Liberal Party is shaping up to be a crucial moment for the party’s renewal. The party will spend several months intensively sharing policies and ideas that will strike a chord with voters and pave the way for its revival as a political force across the province.

Inevitably, the candidates will lay out their views and programs on the key fiscal issues facing Quebec: how they plan to achieve an advanced and sustainable economy while tackling the growing budget deficit; how they plan to restore performance and confidence in the vital sectors of health and education that are currently so destabilized and discouraged; how they plan to meet our environmental goals while mitigating the increasingly frequent and devastating effects of climate change; and what plans they have in mind to secure our ever-increasing energy needs.

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They will no doubt explain their views on Quebec’s participation in the Canadian federation and how they intend to play a firm but open and cooperative role as loyal partners. It is this positive role that distinguishes the Liberals from other major parties in the National Assembly.

There is one crucial issue that one hopes will be openly and thoroughly debated so that the respective positions of the candidates are known without the slightest ambiguity: the core question of how the Liberal Party sees itself and acts as a liberal. It is high time that the QLP proclaimed its principles loud and clear as a party of individual rights and human freedoms – as the founder of the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.

There is a feeling that the current government’s last two electoral victories and its overly assertive nationalism have created a regrettable reluctance on the part of the QLP to proclaim its convictions as a historic advocate and defender of individual and minority rights. There seems to be a perception that the huge decline in the Francophonie vote is due to the party not being nationalist enough and being seen as a party of minorities only.

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I very much hope that one or more candidates will decisively counter the impression that liberals have to hide their light under a bushel for fear of being seen as too federalist or too close to the minorities.

I also very much hope that one or more candidates will have the courage to confront the illiberal and autocratic legislation of the Coalition Avenir Québec, in particular Bill 96, and commit to amending its worst provisions, including the removal of the opt-out clause.

In addition, we should expect commitments to restore the primacy of the Charter and to repeal the discriminatory and senseless measures and policies imposed on the two English-speaking universities in Montreal, the English-speaking CEGEPs and, more recently, the health system.

There is no contradiction between such obligations and the essential obligation to ensure the integrity, quality and permanence of French in a truly francophone Quebec.

This leads me to raise the possibility of federal minister Pablo Rodriguez stepping into the presidency. I am sorry to say that while I recognize his intelligence, his efficiency and his political experience both in Quebec and federally, I cannot support his candidacy, and I am not alone in this. I would not be honest with myself if I supported a candidate who twice voted for Bloc Québécois motions in support of Bill 96 and was a willing supporter of Bill C-13, which incorporated Bill 96 into its ranks by statutory reference while abolishing the historic duality of Canada’s official languages.

Finally, by clearly proclaiming its belief in a vibrant French Quebec and its liberal principles, the QLP need not fear alienating Francophone voters. Since the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s, Quebec has had 18 elections, of which no fewer than 10 have been won by the Liberals, which indicates positive support from the Francophone majority.

Voters across Quebec are wise, fair and willing to listen and be persuaded. What they want is a clear, empathetic and honest presentation of your plans and beliefs, your precise position.

Clifford Lincoln resigned from Quebec’s cabinet in 1988 because he invoked the non-application clause in Bill 178. He later served as a federal MP. As a member of the QLP, he will elect its new leader in June 2025. He lives in Baie-D’Urfé.

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