Boisclair resigns PQ leadership.

[Babbler]

oisclair resigns as leader of Parti Québécois
Bloc's Duceppe says it's too soon to speculate whether he will jump to provincial party
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 8, 2007 | 4:32 PM ET
CBC News

Parti Québécois Leader André Boisclair resigned Tuesday after weeks of speculation about his political future following the sovereigntist party's plunge in the March provincial election and a public spat with his Bloc counterpart, Gilles Duceppe.

Boisclair confirmed he was stepping down during a brief and dignified appearance in front of reporters and his caucus at the provincial legislature in Quebec City Tuesday morning — the same day politicians were returning for the spring session.

"This decision was one I reflected on profoundly," Boisclair told the news conference.

"To lead the Parti Québécois, you need force and courage," he said, adding he had experienced great moments of happiness and immense challenges during his brief 18-month tenure.

"I gave the best of myself in this position but the current conditions don't allow me to do this anymore," Boisclair said as his glum-looking caucus members looked on. "I'm 41, and I have a lot of things to accomplish."

His unexpected resignation opens the door for another leadership race within the PQ, which has anointed and rejected four leaders in the last decade.
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Boisclair's role as leader was turbulent from the beginning but became a major issue after the PQ fell to third place in the national assembly in the March provincial election. The party won only 36 of the 125 seats, while Mario Dumont's Action Démocratique du Québec surged into second place with 41 seats.

Boisclair said he would "assume with humility the responsibility of that defeat."

He had also sparred openly of late with the Bloc Québécois leader, amid rumours that party insiders were clamouring at Duceppe's door in a bid to recruit him for the PQ leadership.

During the news conference Tuesday, as tears sprang to his eyes and his lips trembled, Boisclair took a long pause while caucus members clapped in support. He said he wanted to finish on a positive note.

"I'm profoundly convinced that this francophone nation in North America will one day choose liberty. I wish them courage."

The Montreal native said he would continue to sit as a member of the national assembly for Pointe-aux-Trembles.
Parti Québécois MNAs shocked

Many PQ members at the provincial legislature had trouble hiding their shock and surprise during the bombshell announcement, and several had tears in their eyes as they fled reporters looking for comments after the press conference.

"It's very sad. It's a very sad day," said Bernard Drainville, former Radio-Canada bureau chief and newly elected MNA for Marie-Victorin.

Some paid homage to their young leader, whom they say rallied a new generation of sovereigntists. "I want to salute him for his work," said Gouin MNA Nicolas Girard, one of Boisclair's most vocal supporters. "He was very generous as a leader, and I want to express all my affection for him."

PQ finance critic François Legault, who was among those quietly questioning Boisclair's recent performance, applauded his leader on Tuesday.

"Mr. Boisclair made a dignified decision, and he has all my respect. He inherited a situation that's not easy. The needs modernization."

Former PQ cabinet minister and veteran MNA Sylvain Simard said few Péquiste leaders survive an electoral defeat. "The Parti Québécois eats its leaders quite quickly."

But Boisclair's resignation does not mark a decline of Quebec's independence movement, he added. "Don't try to bury the PQ now. We will have a new leader. We will improve our program."
Duceppe: 'It was a noble decision'

Political observers had predicted Boisclair's days as leader were numbered following the election and after engaging in a public battle with Duceppe that many called a political suicide attack.

During an interview with the CBC's French-language network on May 4, Boisclair accused Duceppe of plotting a takeover of the Parti Québécois. He also told Radio-Canada that Duceppe should mind his own business to focus on affairs in Ottawa.

But Duceppe, who is widely expected to take over the PQ's top spot, shied away from declaring his intentions on Tuesday.

Instead, the Bloc leader tipped his hat to Boisclair, who he said had dedicated his life to the sovereigntist movement.

"We are human, and we chose this life, but it's a hard life, and André knows this," Duceppe told reporters after question period on Parliament Hill.

"I respect his decision. I think it was a noble decision, and I don't think it was an easy decision to make."

The long-serving Bloc leader would not say whether he feels a pull towards Quebec City. "Today is not time to do strategy."
Embattled from beginning

Boisclair's turn as PQ leader was turbulent from the very beginning.

When Bernard Landry stepped down in 2005 following a disappointing leadership review, Boisclair was elected as his replacement despite the intense scrutiny that dogged him after he admitted to using cocaine as a cabinet minister in the 1990s.

As Quebec's first openly gay political leader, Boisclair also deflected intense criticism in December 2006 after he participated in a television parody of Brokeback Mountain, a film about homosexual cowboys.
With files from the Canadian Press

What do you think?

 

[bob bobato]

My reaction when I heard the news: "Oh my God!"(literally, even though I was expecting it it). Then, because of technical difficulties(I think), the program was suddenly and unexpectedly interupted by a commercial. And theres my life story.

 

[Rhymes]

Good thing he did it now, and he did it with dignity. Though If Duceppe doesn't take his place it's gonna be R.I.P for the PQ.
But then who's gonna be taking the Bloc...?

 

[De Lorimier]

People were talking of the cannibals from the Têtes à Claques webiste. The only cannibals in Québec are PQ militants towards their chief. Either Duceppe or Marois will be the next one to get kicked out after their stint at the helm.

 

[Cuivienen]

As long as the ADQ doesn't win power, I really don't care.

 

[Evie]

People were talking of the cannibals from the Têtes à Claques webiste. The only cannibals in Québec are PQ militants towards their chief. Either Duceppe or Marois will be the next one to get kicked out after their stint at the helm.

Or, as I put it to my father...

Who will be the next kamikaze volunteer?

 

[jeps]

Its a good thing that he resigned now. I have a lot of respect for his plight and courage, though I very strongly disagree with his ideals and vision for Quebec

 

[Evie]

My blog post on the topic, slightly sanitized for language.

André Boisclair was resigned today (he resigned. Of course, given recent events in the party, "He was resigned" is a much more appropriate description. The Parti Québécois is the #1 Chief-eating Party in Canada, after all). It's a shame, because (aside from his explosion of the last two or three days), virtually everything he gets blamed for, and particularly the political failure of the party is in every way the result of the imbecilis who were demanding his resignation in the first place.

It's the same people who won't face reality in the face and admit that independence just will NOT happen at this point. They have this delusion that eventually it will if they just keep nagging everyone about it every election, but they're just wrong - disconected from every Québecers but their fellow PQ hardliners. Québecers do NOT want to hear about independence any more. We're sick of that pointless debate, but the Parti Québécois hardliners, instead of trying to move us forward, keep obsessing over the color of the flags on our stamps and money. And they control the party.

WANTED : One Scapegoat
JOB DESCRIPTION : Lead the Parti Québécois until member base demands resignation immediately following the next unavoidable electoral or referendum failure.
QUALIFICATIONS : Must be a political messiah. Must never challenge the Holy Truth regarding Independence. Must not suggest the party needs to change or die. Must kowtow to every hardliner in the party, and their pathetic delusions.
OTHERS : Kamikaze tendencies highly recomended.

Now I remember why I was thinking of moving to Vancouver or something after the Québec provincial elections.

 

[De Lorimier]

It's the same people who won't face reality in the face and admit that independence just will NOT happen at this point. They have this delusion that eventually it will if they just keep nagging everyone about it every election, but they're just wrong - disconected from every Québecers but their fellow PQ hardliners. Québecers do NOT want to hear about independence any more. We're sick of that pointless debate, but the Parti Québécois hardliners, instead of trying to move us forward, keep obsessing over the color of the flags on our stamps and money. And they control the party.

Interesting insights. The last polls still gave a little more over 40% in favor of independance despite the PQ's weak numbers. Québécers don't know what they want. We're eternal fence sitters. I doubt you can talk for all of them like that. And as much as I can't stand the more hard-liners of the PQ, to reduce their whole movement and aspirations to stamps and flags is a little foolish.

Now I remember why I was thinking of moving to Vancouver or something after the Québec provincial elections.

I tought Dumont and the méchantes régions were the reason fo your discontent last time around.

 

[Evie]

General f-it-all with regard to Québec politics. Dumont was a (large) part of it, as was the constant regions attempt to leech away from Montreal, yes, but the PQ hardliners weren't far behind, particularly as a non-negligible part of the blame for Dumont fall on their shoulders, since they torpedoed the PQ for many voters (specifically, that they imposed the "Referendum as soon as we're elected" stance).

And De Lor - 40% for doesn't mean 40% who want to hear about it just yet. IIRC, when the question was, "do you want another referendum soon", the "yes" answer sat lower than Georges Bush's satisfaction numbers.

I know a lot of people who'd vote yes tomorrow if they were asked, but would rather not vote at all for the foreseeable future.

 

[De Lorimier]

Here ya go. Thanks for the clarification. There's a difference between saying people don't want to vote about it for now instead of people don't want to talk about it anymore.

 

[Evie]

Actually, I think "don't want to talk about it any more" is a fair description of the mood of a majority of Québecers at this point in time. It doesn't mean a thing about what their mood may be in the future, but it express well what that mood is now. We've been talking about independence on and off pretty much all the time since Meech (arguably since 1970), and it's time we move to something else.

Maybe five or ten or fifteen years from now conditions will have changed and we'll be ready and willing to talk about independence again ; until then, we really need to stop worrying so much about flags and names and specific powers and focus a bit more on building our Nation-Province so we can be proud of it, regardless of the flags we fly.

 

[Babbler]

Though If Duceppe doesn't take his place it's gonna be R.I.P for the PQ.

Funny you should say that - it reminds me Charest after the previous Liberal leader resigned.

 

[Loki cdn]

Funny you should say that - it reminds me Charest after the previous Liberal leader resigned.

Hey now, Charest was able to take the liberals to a very distinct minority in the last election. Plus the added bonus of all those ADQ wingnuts, what isn't there to like?

I am readily cheering for Duceppe to take over and enjoy the same success Charest has had.

 

[Che Guava]

As much as I dislike the PQ, I fear even more the power vacuum they would leave behind if they continue thier slide...

Premier Ministre Dumont? :shiver:

 

[sysyphus]

Good thing he did it now, and he did it with dignity. Though If Duceppe doesn't take his place it's gonna be R.I.P for the PQ.
But then who's gonna be taking the Bloc...?

Wrt the cause involved, a strong PQ is probably more important than a strong BQ.

 

[Rhymes]

Wrt the cause involved, a strong PQ is probably more important than a strong BQ.

Depends for who, I personlly vote Bloc on federal elections, but I'de never vote PQ unless peace in the world depended on it. I'de like to see he PQ disapear and the bloc gain in power, puting aside their separatists intentions. This is probably whats best for Quebec's economy imho.

 

[Evie]

Frankly, I'd love to see the Bloc becomes an autonomist party in Ottawa, without the social conservatism of the PC.

And then undergo the same sort of name change the Canadian Alliance went through, and become a real pan-Canadian party.

Not going to happen, but...

 

[Babbler]

Well, they decided to feed themselves to the jackals.

Duceppe, Marois jump into PQ leadership race

CTV.ca News Staff

Updated: Fri. May. 11 2007 1:34 PM ET

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe and former Quebec cabinet minister Pauline Marois will be seeking leadership of the Parti Quebecois.

The two veteran politicians made their respective announcements within minutes of each other Friday.

Duceppe, 59, who has been Bloc leader since 1997, says he decided to throw his hat in the ring after consulting his family and Bloc and PQ members.

"I think it's time to end the suspense. I announce that I will be candidate for the leadership of the Parti Quebecois," Duceppe said in a statement.

Several of his own MPs have said the PQ needs the discipline that Duceppe would bring.

Marois, who finished second to Boisclair in 2005, also ran in the PQ's 1985 leadership contest.

"It's going to be a big fight for the leadership," CTV's Montreal Bureau Chief Jed Kahane reported.

"In fact, a poll out earlier this week suggested that Mrs. Marois had quite a lead over Mr. Duceppe in an eventual race."

Andre Boisclair, the embattled leader of the PQ for the last year-and-a-half, quit this week, saying internal sniping made it impossible for him to continue in the post.

The resignation came after a public spat between Boisclair and Duceppe, amid speculation the federal MP was maneuvering for the provincial position.

In a television interview last weekend, Boisclair attacked Duceppe, saying he went to bed dressed up as the PQ leader.

Duceppe responded by saying he was "flabbergasted" by the comments.

The public move marked the first time that leaders of the two sister parties had ever spoken out against each other.

PQ riding association presidents are to meet May 26 in Boucherville, Que., to set out the ground rules for the race.

Former PQ cabinet minister Joseph Facal has also said he's not closing the door on running.

Speculation has also swirled over the intentions of newly elected legislature members Bernard Drainville and Pierre Curzi as well as former premier Bernard Landry, although none of them have indicated whether or not they would run for the leadership.

 

[Cuivienen]

Depends for who, I personlly vote Bloc on federal elections, but I'de never vote PQ unless peace in the world depended on it. I'de like to see he PQ disapear and the bloc gain in power, puting aside their separatists intentions. This is probably whats best for Quebec's economy imho.

What, forcing the national government to pay for everything in Quebec because your party holds the balance of power? That's probably the fastest way to Quebec independence -- get your province kicked out of Canada!