For an Internationalist Perspective in North America
- Details
- Published on Monday, 24 February 2020 02:18
- Written by editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(((( T h e B u l l e t ))))~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2006 ... February 24, 2020
_________________________________________________
For an Internationalist Perspective in North America
An interview with André Frappier of Québec solidaire
The 2018 national assembly election in Québec marked a breakthrough for the Left. While a right-wing coalition won the most votes, the election’s biggest surprise was the unprecedented success of the left-wing, pro-independence party Québec solidaire (Solidarity Québec, QS). It broke out of its traditional base in Montréal, doubled its share of the popular vote, and tripled its seat count. With 16 per cent of the vote and 10 seats in the Québec parliament, this was the best result for the party since its establishment in 2006.
The party’s 2018 platform was wide-ranging and radical. It included, among other things, an aggressive program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to renewable energy; massive investments in public transportation and infrastructure spending; free public education from preschool through university; strengthening and expanding the universal health program, particularly the creation of a universal drug insurance plan; a universal legal aid plan; an expansion of workers’ rights and union power; the replacement... of first-past-the-post elections with proportional representation; and the eventual establishment of an independent Québec.