{UAH} Pauline Marois resigns as PQ leader after crushing election defeat
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Pauline Marois resigns as PQ leader after crushing election defeat
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She gambled, and she lost. And in the face of defeat, Quebec Premier Pauline Marois announced that she will resign as Parti Quebecois leader following an crushing election defeat which saw the Liberals win a majority government.
To add insult to injury, Quebec's first female premier couldn't even retain her seat in the riding of Charlevoix-Cote-de-Beaupre.
"This evening, you'll understand that under the circumstances I will be leaving my post," she told a subdued crowd in Montreal.
The early analysis is that Marois led a horrible campaign full of missteps and unfocused messaging, which included a lot of talk about a referendum that Quebecers many clearly weren't interested in.
In Marois' defence, she can't be blamed for her star-candidate Pierre Karl Peledeau proclaiming that he wanted an independent Quebec (Incidentally, PKP won his seat).
But she can and must be blamed for her outlandish musings about sovereignty.
More on the Quebec provincial election:
- Philippe Couillard’s Liberals to form majority government in Quebec
- Parti Quebecois Leader Pauline Marois loses her own riding in Quebec election
- Parti Quebecois suffers resounding loss in Quebec election
- Federal leaders cheer Parti Quebecois defeat, but can they let their guard down?
- Complete coverage: Quebec election
Early in the campaign, over the course of two days, Marois shared that she wanted her own country independent of Canada. She wanted travellers in both nations to be able to go back and forth without borders and passports. She wanted to use the Canadian dollar, to seek a seat at the Bank of Canada, and to study the issue of offering dual citizenship to Quebecers.
Marois also has to wear her party's Charter strategy, not to mention her silence in response to the discriminatory comments of PQ candidates with regard to Muslims and other religious minorities.
But while the last 30 days have certainly been egregious, its important to note that Marois' focus on sovereignty and identity politics didn't start one month ago at the beginning of the campaign. That has been the focus for much of her 18 months in power.
On election night in 2012, the new premier made no bones about her intentions.
"I would like to talk to our friends and neighbours in Canada," she said during her victory speech.
"As a nation we want to make the decisions about the things that are important for us. We want a country. And we will have it."
Marois wasn't able to achieve her goal of an independent Quebec but in many subtle ways, she masterfully forwarded her sovereignty agenda.
In Septemebr 2012, the Canadian flag wasremoved from the Quebec legislature as members of the PQ were sworn into office.
In December of that year, the government proposed Bill 14, which would have strengthened Quebec's French language laws. One of the caveats included in the legislation was an edict ordering companies with 26 to 50 employees to obtain Certificates of Francization, indicating that all communications within the workplace were in French.
Marois also embarked on a Quebec independence road show, of sorts.
In December 2012 in New York, the premier addressed a crowd of well-heeled business types, telling them that they shouldn't lose sleep over an independent Quebec.
And in January 2013 Marois was in Scotland supporting a Scottish independence movement.
"It will show that this [independence] is not an old idea, but a very modern idea, and Scotland is an example in this perspective," Marois told reporters.
"It will tell Quebeckers that it is still possible to attain the objective."
And then there was the Values Charter, which would have banned public employees from wearing religious symbols in public institutions.
From day one, minority groups and opponents of the legislation accused the government of using the legislation to create a wedge between Francophones and the rest of Canada.
And it almost worked. That's what she did with a minority government — just imagine what she could have done with a majority!
Tonight, many Quebecers and Canadians are surely happy that they will never have to find out.
Au revoir Madame Marois. Au revoir.
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