MALAISE IN THE PQ

UNCLAS QUEBEC 000039

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV EFIN ECON PREL CA
SUBJECT: MALAISE IN THE PQ

SENSITVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED


1. (SBU) Summary: Parti Quebecois (PQ) veteran Pauline Marois,
57 year old MNA for Taillon and three time party leadership
aspirant, announced March 20 she was quitting politics after 25
years of public service. Marois is the second veteran PQ member
to resign over the last few days and more resignations are
expected -- some voluntary and others at the bidding of PQ
leader Andre Boisclair. Boisclair is hoping these departures
will allow him to bring fresh and younger faces into the party
in time for the next election. But so far Marois' departure has
re-ignited a debate on women in politics and called into
question Boisclair's approach to rejuvenating the party. While
popular support for Charest remains very low, Boisclair does not
yet seem to have found a way to present himself and his party as
the attractive alternative. End Summary.


2. (SBU) PQ heavyweight and former Minister Pauline Marois
called it quits this week, saying "her heart was not in it any
longer." Marois was badly defeated by the much younger Andre
Boisclair for the party leadership last fall. Over the span of
her long political career, Marois held 14 different Quebec
ministerial portfolios; including Deputy Premier, Finance,
Education, Health, and the Treasury Board. She is widely
considered as the most influential and powerful woman politician
Quebec has ever had. For many, her exit highlights that a lot
still needs to be done on gender equality in politics. The PQ
in particular has always had a problem rallying women to the
sovereignist cause and they tend to vote more often for the
Liberals than male voters.


3. (SBU) Media and public reaction to Marois' resignation is
split between disappointment over the loss of a rock-solid and
experienced politician and the view that her departure might
make room for a young, new generation of Quebec sovereignist
politicians. Boisclair himself hinted that other departures
would follow but refused to allow suggestions that the party was
imploding; he talked instead of a "healthy and normal renewal."
(Note: With now two ridings open for Boisclair to run
officially, the PQ leader confirmed this week that he himself
would compete for a seat in the National Assembly this fall.)


4. (SBU) Others are reading Marois' notice as depriving the more
moderate party faction of a strong and influential voice. (That
faction represents the majority of PQ members but struggles to
make its voice heard.) Some within the PQ worry that her
resignation sends a signal that the new PQ leader was unable to
rebuild party unity after a fierce and drawn out leadership
race.


5. (SBU) Comment: There are clearly some changes going on
within the PQ. Some are generational while others are a result
of the declining interest in sovereignty. Marois' resignation is
likely to weaken the PQ, at least in the near term. Boisclair
may be calculating that he can afford to take some risks given
PLQ leader Charest's continuing unpopularity. But at some point
he will have to go beyond banking on voter dissatisfaction with
Charest, and earn the confidence of the public based upon his
actions. For now, Boisclair has yet to personally win over the
Quebec public.

FRIEDMAN