Leader François Legault Political position Centre-right | President Stéphane Le Bouyonnec | |
Founded 4 November 2011 (2011-11-04) Headquarters 4020, rue Saint-Ambroise Bureau 499, Montreal, Quebec H4C 2C7 Ideology Quebec federalism
Quebec nationalism
Fiscal conservatism | ||
The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ; [kɔ.a.li.sjɔ̃ av.niʁ ke.bɛk], "Coalition for Quebec's Future"), is a centre-right provincial political party in Quebec, Canada.
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It was founded by former Parti Québécois (PQ) cabinet minister François Legault and businessman Charles Sirois; Legault also serves as the party leader of CAQ. The party membership includes both Quebec nationalists and federalists. Legault has said it will never endorse a referendum on sovereignty, but more autonomy if necessary.
Not long after its formation, the party gained nine sitting Members of the National Assembly of Quebec (MNAs) who had been elected as members of the PQ and of the Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ); the ADQ later merged with the CAQ in January 2012. The party is registered with the Director-General of Elections in Quebec under the name Coalition avenir Québec - L'équipe François Legault (Coalition Avenir Quebec-Team François Legault).
Members and supporters of the party are referred to as "caquistes", derived from the French pronunciation of the party's initials. However, the party had requested that the term "coalisés" be used instead.
Foundation and 2012 provincial election
In February 2011, François Legault and Charles Sirois held a press conference to announce the formation of a movement to be known as the "Coalition pour l'avenir du Québec", literally Coalition for the Future of Quebec.
In September 2011, the CAQ began discussions with the ADQ on the possibility of a merger between the two groups.
On 14 November 2011, Legault held a press conference to launch the movement as a political party under the slightly modified name of Coalition Avenir Québec, unveiling a new logo at the same time. The actual registration of the party with the Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec had already taken place on 4 November.
On 13 December 2011, the coalition and the ADQ announced an agreement in principle to merge, pending final approval with the ADQ membership.
On 19 December 2011, two former PQ MNAs (Benoit Charette, Daniel Ratthé) and two former ADQ MNAs (Éric Caire and Marc Picard) who had earlier left their respective parties to sit as independents announced that they were joining the CAQ.
In January 2012, PQ MNA François Rebello switched party affiliation to the CAQ, becoming its fifth sitting member.
On 21 January 2012, the results of the ADQ's mail-in vote were announced: of the 54% of members who voted, 70% approved the merger with the CAQ. The ADQ's four remaining MNAs -- Sylvie Roy of Lotbinière, Janvier Grondin of Beauce-Nord, François Bonnardel of Shefford, and leader Gérard Deltell of Chauveau—joined the CAQ, boosting its caucus to nine.
On 23 January 2012, the CAQ announced its first president, Dominique Anglade, who would also be a candidate for the party in the next election.
On 5 August 2012, Jacques Duchesneau, the whistleblower behind Quebec's anti-corruption unit, announced his candidacy for the riding of Saint-Jérôme in the 2012 provincial election. He won the MNA seat.
On 4 September 2012, the CAQ won 19 seats in the 2012 provincial election.
2014 provincial election
In the 2014 provincial election held on 7 April, the CAQ won 22 seats, a gain of three seats. The TVA-sponsored second televised debate was noted as a turning point in the campaign and party leader François Legault's performance reflected positively on the CAQ's standing. Therefore, early voting results revealed a disastrous outcome for the party, while ballots cast on Election Day were much more favourable.
Also, overall returns marked a significant geographic shift in the CAQ electoral base. In the Capitale-Nationale area, reputed for its conservative leanings and the influence of its talk-radio hosts, the Quebec Liberal Party won four of the six seats previously held by the CAQ. A strategic vote of the anti-PQ electorate, as well as a pledge by Legault to spend no public money on projects dear to Mayor Régis Labeaume, such as the construction of a $97.5 million covered ice rink, the completion of the $60 million theatre Le Diamant, promoted by Robert Lepage, and the $20 million revitalization of the French colonial era new barracks, are possible causes for the backlash.
The CAQ losses in the Capitale-Nationale area were largely compensated with a significant breakthrough in the "450 area" (Laurentides, Lanaudière and Montérégie), where it ended up with seven more seats.
Meanwhile, the CAQ support in Chaudière-Appalaches and Centre-du-Québec remained steady.
On 15 August 2014, CAQ MNA for Lévis Christian Dubé resigned his seat to take a job at the Caisse de dépôt et placement.
The subsequent 20 October 2014 by-election was won by François Paradis with 47% of the popular vote.
Following much speculation, Gérard Deltell announced on 7 April 2015, that he would be running for the federal Conservative Party of Canada in the riding of Louis-Saint-Laurent in the upcoming 2015 federal election. His resignation as MNA for Chauveau took effect the same day.
On August 26, 2015, CAQ MNA Sylvie Roy resigned to sit as an independent following personal issues with party leadership.
Policies
The party proposes government investment in education and partial decentralization of the healthcare system. They promise "to further develop the entrepreneurial culture in Québec" and provide government resources for the private sector. The party also supports austerity "to provide the government with the flexibility it needs to adapt to the ongoing changes in the economy"; one measure specifically mentioned is leaving 6,000 open Hydro-Québec employment positions unfilled. Although the party does not support independence, it advocates Quebec nationalism. This includes limiting immigration and promoting the use of French without creating new barriers. The party supports multiculturalism insofar as to "integrate newcomers".
According to the party, Quebec is defined by "its historical heritage, the French language, its democratic ideals and the principles of the secularity of the State, and equality among men and women".
On 10 April 2014, the party stated that it would never hold a referendum on leaving Canada: "(There) will never be a referendum for the life of the coalition even after 10 years, even after 20 years, so that's clear. And I was clear but people understood something else." François Legault also pointed out that "Once it is clear that there will never be a referendum with the Coalition Avenir Québec, the anglophones and allophones, who don’t want a referendum, have to understand that we offer an alternative to the Liberals." However, Legault has stated "aggressive[ly]" that a CAQ government would not repeal Bill 101.
The party describes itself as of neither the left nor the right: it describes itself as conservative on economic issues, while liberal on social issues, however its politics have been described in the press as centre-right by Quebec standards.
Projet St-Laurent
The centrepiece of the Coalition's policy platform is the Projet St-Laurent, a detailed program designed to modernize Quebec's economy, education and health systems.