Quebec Greens present their ideas without their boss

The Quebec wing of Green Party of Canada presented on Tuesday, without the presence of his boss, Annamie Paul, a platform specific to Quebec. “Her team has had a copy, but I don’t know if she is specifically aware of it,” announced Luc Joli-Cœur, candidate in Ahuntsic-Cartierville. At a press briefing at the same time, in Prince Edward Island, the chief conceded that she had not been consulted.

At a press conference, members of the Quebec wing reiterated their recognition of Quebec’s status as a distinct nation, which the party does not do in its national platform. This summer, she confirmed her support for the Quebec government’s Bill 96, which aims to amend the Canadian Constitution to include Quebec as a nation.

The chef did not defend the bill, the support of which was the subject of a motion in the House of Commons in June. The leaders of the other four parties, along with Green MP Paul Manly, voted in favor of the motion, but not Annamie Paul, who still does not have a seat in the Commons. This year she is trying to get elected in the riding of Toronto Center.

Asked Tuesday about the recognition by her Quebec candidates of the distinct character of Quebec, Annamie Paul replied that there was “room for differences of opinion” within the Green Party.

The identity debates however overshadow the most important issue in the eyes of the party, the environment, think the candidates Luc Joli-Cœur and Alain Lépine. This diversion of attention, they say, partly explains the lack of enthusiasm for the political party, which only collects 3% of voting intentions according to the 338Canada site.

“For personal reasons that we can understand, Mr.^me Paul holds more firm positions than the members of the party, and this unfortunately casts doubt on the climate crisis and the party’s policies to respond to it, ”remarked after the press briefing Alain Lépine, candidate in Papineau.

A unique platform

Other elements appear only in the Quebec platform. The party wants to work with distribution platforms so that at least 5% of their catalog is made up of Quebec and Canadian films and series. “We also want to ensure the survival of the local media,” noted candidate Érica Poirier, without giving details on the terms.

The Quebec wing of the party also wants to reduce the production of beef and pork in the country and ban the use of glyphosate. Even if these promises, just like the recognition of the uniqueness of Quebec, are not in the federal platform, Luc Joli-Coeur ensures that the document has been validated by the former deputy leader of the party, Daniel Green, and that there was no contradiction between the two plans.

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