MONTREAL – Québec solidaire has been coined the most progressive party in Canada with their proposed wealth tax, plan for climate action and promotion of Indigenous rights. But are there issues within the party? Local 514 invites freelance journalist Nora Loreto to explore. 

Loreto cited that Bill 96 is seen as a contentious issue, especially among Anglophones in Montreal, causing a divide in the support for Québec solidaire in the metropolis. She cited Montreal as being quite different than the rest of the province. Loreto said 80 per cent of Quebec's immigration is focused in Montreal, stating that immigration should be spread out across the province so that all Quebecers can have contact with immigrants and connect with them.

Québec solidaire only has 3.9% of members who identify as racialized, according to 2021 statistics. Could this cause issues within the party creating Quebec as a decolonial sovereigntist state?

The party has been accused of not handling anti-racism policies well and overlooking POC candidates. An Inuk candidate running in the 2018 provincial election for the Ungava riding said she was sidelined by QS following the election.

In 2021, more than 80 per cent of Québec solidaire delegates voted to censure the party’s Decolonial Anti-racist Collective, a group within QS.

Loreto said the Decolonial Anti-racist Collective was founded to make change within the party, and specifically in terms of sovereignty, make sure that when establishing a new Quebec, Québec solidaire does not create a new colonial country.

Loreto said Québec solidaire didn't deal with the caucus very well, as they were expelled. 

She said with the membership of Québec solidaire being majority white, issues that are imp to racialized communities didn't get through to instances within community. "The party didn't figure out how to effectively challenge racism."

Despite the issues with the party's handling of the Decolonial Anti-racist Collective, Loreto said there is still not a party that compares to Québec solidaire in Quebec or the rest of Canada. Loreto stated that this is the most progressive party we have and we should challenge it to be even more progressive.