Michael Moore Keep fighting for $15 takes on Trump and Fairness review page 7 pages 5,6 $2 | No 609 | October 2018 | socialist.ca Québec Election: BREAKTHROUGH FOR QUEBEC SOLIDAIRE Co-spokespeople Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and Mannon Massé at the QS party in Montreal. The party took 10 seats in the election. Photo twitter - Québec Solidaire he two parties that have traded power status. To make matters worse for the PQ their and increased their vote percentage from 7 to How did they do it? According to Benoit in Quebec for generations, the Liberals leader Jean-Francois Lisée lost his own seat 16%. In some places, the QS victory was not Renaud, candidate for QS in Hull, “By put- and the Parti Quebecois, were both in Rosemont to Québec Solidaire candidate even close. Catherine Dorion, won the riding of ting forward proposals that were concrete and Tkicked to the kerb in the October 1st Vincent Marissal. Taschereau in Québec city by more than 8,500 specific that resonated with ordinary people, election. Quebec voted overwhelmingly for change. votes over her nearest rival from the CAQ. we managed to reach people who want real The Liberals crashed from a 70 seat majori- It is unfortunate that most of that sentiment This is a dramatic change for QS and for change.” ty to 32 seats (the worst showing since 1975). went to the conservative Coalition Avenir the left in Québec. An explicitly and unapol- The CAQ victory will, no doubt, result in Their share of the vote fell from 41.5% to about Québec (CAQ), but it would be a mistake to ogetically left platform has yielded significant more austerity and a further emboldening of 25%, a catastrophic collapse. Never since underestimate the breakthrough of Québec results. They were mercilessly attacked over the far right. But having a mass organized Confederation have the Liberals taken less than Solidaire, from 3 seats all on Montreal the last weeks of the race. There was both a fighting left force to challenge them puts the 30% of the vote. They ran on their economic Island, to 10. This includes two seats in campaign of red-baiting and a full court press situation in Quebec far ahead of where the left record – which proved to be a mistake. Their Québec City, one in Sherbrooke and one in by many big name PQ luminaries and former is in most parts of the country. neo-liberal economic policies of austerity cer- Rouyn-Noranda-Témiscamingue. sovereigntist leaders to denounce the party. Monique Moisan, who participated in the tainly didn’t appeal to working Quebecois. As Manon Massé, co-leader of QS stated in The English media painted QS as a dangerous founding of QS, said “It is a good thing we And the Parti Quebecois collapsed from 30 her victory speech, “Québec solidaire is not party and almost exclusively focused on the began building 15 years ago. We knew a right- seats to 9, with a fall from 25.4 % of the vote to just a party of the Plateau of Montreal.” question of sovereignty rather than discuss the ward wind was blowing across the country.” about 17 %. That means a loss of official party QS managed to get almost 650,000 votes rest of their platform. article continues on page 2 Next steps for the left Saron in Québec Gebresellassi for ...continued from page 1 change front and centre and the other an audacious campaign can also be Mayor of Toronto three parties had to try and match popular. We lead in the polls among QS has always been a different type the ambitious program that QS put one-third of voters: 18-34 and the win of party, explicitly campaigning not forward. The CAQ, which had been of five women and five men [MLAs] just during elections but in the years talking about support for fracking is just an electoral start. We can defeat between. It is a party of both the suddenly stopped mentioning that and the CAQ in the streets and our show ballot box and the street. How will tried to put their own energy policy on of force outside of Montreal will they respond to the CAQ challenge? the back burner. be what tones down and ultimately Benoit Renaud went on to say that for the next steps, QS will, “organize people in the workplace and in the street, because it’s great to elect people to the National Assembly, but we need to continue between elections.” As Catherine Dorion told supporters on election night, “Stay mobilized!” Over the course of the campaign QS was able to shift the entire discussion to the left and forced the other parties to retreat from some of their more hard right policies. On the question of climate change for Unique among Toronto mayoralty new police officers”), employment example, the QS platform was clear candidates with a platform, outside the city’s core, mental from the beginning. Saron Gebresellassi has proven health and accessibility services, At mid-campaign QS unveiled its credentials supporting ordinary and the right to diversity in city detailed green transition plan, towards QS candidates celebrate in Gatineau workers, including workers of politics and hiring. a complete break with fossil fuels colour. A vote for her sends a signal But it is not her specific platform and electrification of both public and On other economic issues QS also defeats Legault.” of support for Toronto’s diverse that earns her our endorsement so private transit. Highway development shifted the debate. They put out an The youth vote was crucial for QS. working class. An outspoken much as her track record in support would be ended, 38 new subway online financial tool to calculate how This is the generation of the Maple supporter of the $15 and Fairness of the working class, especially stations in the Montreal region would much better off the average person Spring, who fought and won against Campaign, Gebresellassi is a among those who are racialized or be initiated, and 300,000 green jobs would be under QS policies—which rising tuition and in the process successful labour and human rights otherwise marginalized. While her would be created by investment in include public dental insurance, free unleashed a movement that touched lawyer. She is the go-to solicitor for candidacy did not arise as obvious- public transit and by nationalizing education through to doctorate, half- every part of Quebec society. As co- Black Lives Matter Toronto and has ly from the movements as, for ex- lithium mines to develop battery price public transit, and an immediate leader Manon Massé said in her speech, won cases for Gilary Massa (fired ample, Jean Swanson in Vancouver, production, reuse and recycling. raise of the minimum wage from $12 “A new generation is starting to find while on maternity leave from her appeal lies in her identifica- The goal is to diminish carbon to $15, and 4 weeks of vacation to its place, a generation that is tired of Ryerson University) and workers tion with workers and people of emissions by 48% from 1990 levels all workers employed after 2 years. having its future mortgaged. It has not of colour in the Ontario public colour. Ideally her campaign would by 2030, and by 95% by 2050. In All of this is costed and paid for by known the cynicism of bitter defeats, service. The latter case resulted flow from and help build a larger order to achieve this, QS would put in a QS proposal to tax corporations it is prepared to pick up the torch. It is in a moratorium on suspensions progressive movement, which, place $19.4 billion in a first mandate and high-income earners, and to find time to make room for them.” for such workers given the proven unfortunately, is not happening at and 73 billion between now and 2030. savings in areas that currently favour With a CAQ majority, the October discrimination in their cases. this time. This forced the other parties to the economic elite. 7 antiracism demo takes on a new Her “Six for the 6ix” platform Despite this limitation, the respond to the QS platform. In the Nora Loreto, a QS activist in urgency. François Legault tried to calls for 20,000 units of affordable International Socialists group is immediate aftermath of the tornados Quebec City, told Socialist Worker fuel anti-immigrant sentiment in the housing over the next four years, happy to endorse her candidacy. in Ottawa and Gatineau, all the party the election was an, “Historic campaign. The movement on the free public transit, fairer spending Vote for Saron Gebresellassi on leaders went to the storm ravaged breakthrough… Quebec solidaire ground will be critical to fighting back to generate 1,000 new jobs for October 22. region to look at the damage. The didn’t just go from 3 to 10 [seats], as the CAQ pushes divide and conquer youth in low-income neighbour- For more information visit saron- storm had put the question of climate though it did, but we proved that policies. hoods (“as opposed to hiring 200 formayor.ca Support free and accessible transit in Ottawa and across Canada by Thomas Pierlot cies that fail to address the dangers creased pollution, frustration, and use will need to be phased out. suggested increasing parking fees, posed by climate change. The wasted time—as commuters spend Free transit thus has to be seen as imposing charges on developers At $3.50, fares for Ottawa’s public Campaign for Free and Accessible an average of close to 80 hours per part of a larger project to recon- for the costs of investments in city transit service OC Transpo are Transit is organizing to counter year sitting in traffic delays.