Opposition parties in Quebec struggle as election looms and National Assembly resumes

As Quebec's National Assembly resumes its session today, opposition partiessee a new opportunity to attack Franois Legault'sCAQ government on its management of the fifth waveof the COVID-19 pandemic, but so far none has emerged as a clear challenger.

Before the session even began today, news broke that Legault had caved to opposition pressure and decided to scrap his proposed health tax for unvaccinated Quebecers.

That is likely a response to theCoalition Avenir Qubec government experiencinga rare dip in popularity over the last month as the fifth wave of the pandemic took hold.

In addition to the backtrack on the health tax,Legaultimposed and then withdrew anunpopular curfew and introduced more lockdown measures. The health-care system hasbeen forced to postponethousand of surgeries.His director of public health resigned.

Sensing vulnerability, the opposition haspounced.

At pre-session caucus meetings last week, Liberal Leader Dominique Angladesuggested the CAQ was being "paternalistic,"and governing based on polls.

Qubec Solidairehouse leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois accused Legault of "bluffing"his way through the pandemic, and Parti QubcoisLeader Paul St-Pierre Plamondonsaid the CAQ was clearly not basing its decisions on science.

But so far, no one party in the National Assembly appears to be benefiting from Legault's recent malaise. They're all relatively stagnant in the opinion polls.

The main beneficiary of Legault's slide seems to be the fledgling Conservative Party of Quebec, led by former radio host ric Duhaime.The party currently holds one seatin the National Assembly after Claire Samson crossed the floor from the CAQ. But Samson has announced she will not run again.

The provincial conservatives have positioned themselves far to the right of the CAQ by opposing all public health restrictionsrelated to the pandemic.

This leaves the other opposition parties in a bit of a bind. Even if they collectively manage to weaken the CAQby attacking its record on the pandemic, theystill need to differentiate themselves from eachother if they hope to make any gains.

Liberals pivot from hydrogen to attacking 3rd link

Official Opposition LiberalDominique Anglade and her party have been struggling through an identity crisis for months.

Anglade's signature announcement atlast fall's party convention was that a Liberal government would nationalize the production of green hydrogen in Quebec as part of a $100-million environmental plan.

The idea landed with a thud, and Angladehasn't talked about it much since.

She tried something new last week, pledgingif elected to scrap the Legault government's controversial plan to build a new $10-billiontunnel between Quebec City and Lvis. Anglade said she would instead devote the entire sumto health and education.

Both the PQ and Qubec Solidaire also oppose the CAQ's tunnel plan, but neither has promised to scrap the project altogether.

It's a risky move for Anglade, given the Liberals hold no seats in the Quebec City area and are hoping to make gains. But it may pay off as the project faces increasing scrutiny and criticism from environmental groups

Qubec Solidaire seizes on Bill 21

Qubec Solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Duboisalso pivoted to another issue last week.

He pledged that a Qubec Solidairegovernment would make it possible for teachers in Quebec to wear religious symbols at work, by repealing part of the CAQ's controversial secularism law, Bill 21.

Nadeau-Dubois stopped short of saying his partywould lift the restrictions for other government workers affected by Bill 21 such as judges, prosecutors andpolice officers but it's the furthest any opposition party in Quebec has gone in opposing the law.

The PQsupports the law, and Anglade has been vague about her intentions.

This is also a risky move, as the CAQ has continually defended Bill 21 by noting that a majority of Quebecers elected them on a promise to implement it. But Bill 21's popularity has also recentlydropped, and Nadeau-Dubois may see the issue as the best chance to distinguish Quebec Solidaire from the other opposition parties.

PQ tries to out-CAQ the CAQ

Of all the opposition parties in the National Assembly, the Parti Qubcois and its leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon have struggled the most to eke out a distinctive identity.

St-Pierre Plamondon's problem is not that his party is too similar to the other opposition parties, but that it's often too similar to the CAQ in focusing mainly on French-language and identity issues.

That often leaves little space for the PQ to stand out. The party is now polling lower than Duhaime'sconservatives.

Even when the PQ wins, it can sometimes lose. For example, the party has been hammering a CAQ plan to expand theEnglish-language Montreal CgepDawson College, arguing that wouldcontribute to the decline of the French language in Montreal.

Monday, the CAQ announced it was rethinking the plan, essentially stealing the PQ's argument and taking the wind out of the its sails.

Plamondon insisted last week that what set the PQ apart isits focus on serious ideas.

"We are in a different mentality. We are unique in the sense that we care about bringing forward something that is intelligent and useful in terms of public policy," Plamondon said.

The National Assembly session resumes later today and will continue until June.

Under Quebec's fixed election date law an election will happen on or before Oct. 3.