Robert Libman: Premier Legoto risks becoming his own worst enemy

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Next week, Quebec’s 43rd Parliament opens in the National Assembly with its usual sense of pomp, grandeur and tradition.

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Pre-arranged speaker elections and other internal business will take place on Tuesday. Prime Minister and other party leaders make brief remarks.

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On Wednesday, the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec will deliver the opening address. Incidentally, his title is “Representative of the Viceroy of Quebec to Charles III, Monarch of Canada”. (Quebec Party!) His prepared remarks will broadly outline the government’s agenda for the session. Prime Minister François Legault will then deliver his inaugural address, detailing the aims of the government in his second term. After refusing to take the oath to King Charles, the two speeches came after the whole world was teetering on the brink, unsure if his three PQ candidates would be elected October 3rd to seats. It will be interesting to see what happens. See Laws for Eliminating Certain Symbolic Ties to the Monarchy. But I digress.

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MNAs find their seats with or without the three Péquistes. The first-time elect will marvel at his new workplace in one of Quebec’s most beautiful architectural spaces. The legislature has called him the Blue Room since 1978. The debate began to air on TV and the walls were painted that color because the previous green didn’t work on TV. The seats face the loudspeaker’s chair and he is arranged in a U-shape, of which his three-quarters are the governing confederacy. increase. The atmosphere therefore seemed very one-sided, with every question and speech followed by partisan applause, roaring and shouting, with the realization that the government was in control and could do what it wanted. Enhanced.

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By contrast, members of the other three parties, which form the smallest opposition of a generation, are coming in tail-to-tail. The PQ and the Liberal Party suffered historic lows in voter share and total seats. The Liberal Party leader, Dominic Anglade, has already resigned. Quebec’s Solidale fell short of expectations, gaining third-party status and occupying less than his tenth of the seats.

Mark Tangay, interim leader of the official opposition Liberal Party, is poised to replace Anglad, but will not be elected for another year or two.

Everything seems too comfortable for Legault. But it could be his Achilles heel.

With so much control over the National Assembly, his greatest enemy could be himself if he falls prey to his overconfidence and arrogance. Legitimacy in the past has been sometimes acrimonious, defensive and sometimes condescending in the face of criticism in Congress, and now 75% of the MNA are rooting for him. But the Blue Room is not the real world, and he only got 41% of the public vote.

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With the difficult economic times ahead and the collapse of the healthcare system, Legault is expected to deliver on its promise. His first term was dominated by a pandemic. His government, like others, had to weather an uncontrollable storm. The question of identity, which allowed consensus to be generated among the majority at the expense of the minority, was another distraction. A real solution is needed.

Legoto may feel invincible in the Blue Room, but his flirtatiousness when the Quebecers are struggling causes the Quebecois’ patience to fray. If he is cautious, unhumble, and scoffs at criticism, if his disproportionate power in parliament breeds arrogance, he may have a tougher road than it seems.

Robert Libman is an architect, architectural planning consultant, and former Equality Party leader and MNA. that’s why metersMayor of Côte Saint-Luc, member of the Montreal Executive Committee. He was the Conservative candidate in his 2015 federal election. twitter.com/robertlibman