Again, Quebec, legally, does not get to decide whether a pipeline from Alberta goes through Quebec. The question is whether the federal government cares enough about the Quebec votes that would be swayed by approving a project like that, and whether there's a company that would build it if approved given what they'd have to deal with in terms of protests etc.
It's not actually clear to me what the current political will is in Quebec vis a vis pipelines from the west - are Quebec residents actually that firmly against it? There was some polling last year that suggested otherwise.
I would guess 99% of the Canadian population doesn't actually care that much. It's easy to post online or answer "no" towards a pipeline question. If the federal government actually rammed one through I think the outrage would die down pretty quickly. I mean CPC and the libs both ran on national interest projects for our resources and they got all the votes so I think there is actually an appetite Canada wide for this type of development.
Typical vocal minority holding the majority hostage.
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My first thought was "what is the scandal that is driving him out of office?".
My second thought was "is it for health reasons?".
My third thought was "I wonder if they will give Quebec a chance at a less conservative government?".
Sounds like he was dropping in the polls by shifting from being a "business guy" to a "culture war conservative" and the people aren't liking it.
Painting Legault to be a culture war conservative and yet portraying Quebec as wanting to get rid of culture war conservatism is quite an out of touch conclusion I have seen involving Quebec.
Quebec politics don't fall neatly into a left versus right spectrum as it does in a lot of Canada.
The main difference between the CAQ and PQ is their views towards separatism and approach to specific fiscal policies, but have very similar views on immigration, multiculturalism and secularism with many overlapping policies. The PQ is gaining mainly at the expense of the CAQ in rural Quebec while the PLQ largely always dominates Montreal (heck the CAQ gained popularity at the expense of the PQ). Many CAQ politicians originate from the PQ who saw separatism as a dead end cause and preferred autonomy as a middle ground.
CAQ caused further controversy with their Bill 2 but they were already very unpopular due to the perception the government is not doing enough to combat cost of living and housing costs and want anyone else in charge.
"The CAQ is keeping us in a cul-de-sac by denouncing Canadian multiculturalism while insisting on staying in Canada at all costs," said Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon in a statement to CTV News.
"Canada is imposing its vision of communitarianism on us and we are wasting time and energy trying to maintain our vision of society based on integration and universal citizenship, regardless of our differences," he said.
"The only way to solve this impasse is to create our own country. If the leader of the CAQ and Mr. Jolin-Barrette are serious, they must have the courage to name the only solution: independence."
Does that sound like a party interested in dodging culture wars?
The only party that is truly left is Québec Solidaire but they are pretty much socialist separatists (like a very separatist & collectivist version of the NDP that wants a Nouveau Québec) which views on immigration clash with most of Quebec.
TLDR - "It's the economy stupid" and Quebec is as xenophobic and secular as ever and hasn't changed on that front, and would prefer to keep that perspective than going to the PLQ or QS as an alternative to the CAQ. And the PLQ is too busy bribing in corrupt politicians with controversial past as leader and self-owning to be a serious party that could run the province again.
Even the PCQ, a barely existent dead party a few years ago run by a thrash talk radio populist is expected to gain a bunch of seats around Quebec City solely under the conservative name brand and could gain more seats than the CAQ.
Last edited by Firebot; 01-14-2026 at 02:42 PM.
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Painting Legault to be a culture war conservative and yet portraying Quebec as wanting to get rid of culture war conservatism is quite an out of touch conclusion I have seen involving Quebec.
Huh?
Did you watch the video? The CTV analyst literally said that Legault shifted toward culture war issues and the polls are showing he is losing ground because of it. That is the rationale they suggested is behind him stepping down.
In all that rambling, are you trying to suggest there is a different reason for him to step down?
They also say that Legault "is the party" and they have their doubts the party will be as successful with him stepping down. Are you arguing that point too?
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Did you watch the video? The CTV analyst literally said that Legault shifted toward culture war issues and the polls are showing he is losing ground because of it. That is the rationale they suggested is behind him stepping down.
In all that rambling, are you trying to suggest there is a different reason for him to step down?
They also say that Legault "is the party" and they have their doubts the party will be as successful with him stepping down. Are you arguing that point too?
Huh what? Did I stutter? I quoted you, not Nanos.
Yes I did watch the video. Nowhere does it mention becoming a "culture war conservative" (watch it again, that's your own interpretation of what was mentioned and not at all what Nik Nanos said). I was educating you on Quebec geopolitics that it doesn't fit the traditional left / right spectrum. To understand Quebec you need to understand how deeply rooted secularism is within the culture and its history.
You indicated you knew little about Quebec or Legault, yet you still chose to misinterpret to fit within your own narrative.
Legault ran on banning religious symbols by public servants in 2018 (and I disagree with Nanos on stating Legault pivoted away in recent years to focus on banning religious symbols as it was always there from the start), and passed it in law in 2019 (with the help of the PQ). In fact, all parties in Quebec ran on banning them. The "culture war" (and I am putting it in quotes as it's a distorted interpretation) was always there and always at the forefront of CAQ policies and Quebec politics in general. It's not new. And these Quebec identity and secular policies very much match PQ policies which are the frontrunner to win the next election. Heck, even the PLQ could be seen as xenophobic and discriminatory with bills such as Bill 62 passed in 2017 when seen in the eyes of an outsider to Quebec. The niqab controversy of 2015 caused the federal NDP to completely lose its Quebec base, the topic is that strong.
Nanos is talking of Legault shifting priorities away from economics to look to explain as to his fall. He should have focused more on cost of living, but instead continued with stronger secular and language laws such as Bill 96.
Think back to Trudeau focusing on carbon tax in 2022-2023 when the biggest concern was cost of living and inflation. That's basically what Legault was faced with, and as incumbent he was blamed for the economy and failures like Northvolt and could not provide good answers and scrambled to stay afloat.
In the end, again (I can't believe I have to say it again), "it's the economy stupid" and Quebecers want someone else (anyone but Legault) because they aren't happy with how things are going and completely tired of Legault's antics. But misinterpreting it down to Quebecers rejecting "culture war conservative" shows a deep misunderstanding of Quebec as a whole, because Quebec is about to elect a party that is far more xenophobic, more secular and deeply protective of identity than the CAQ.
Yes I did watch the video. Nowhere does it mention becoming a "culture war conservative" (watch it again, that's your own interpretation of what was mentioned and not at all what Nik Nanos said).
It was a weird response considering.
“Where is that drop in support? Where did he start to lose it?”
“What it suggests is that 2023-2024 the numbers started to slide. This is where we saw Legault … pivot from that (setting the economy straight) to more identity politics in terms of (what civil servants could wear to work, religious symbols in public places, protecting Quebec identity and language) as soon as he pivoted from jobs to these other issues, it didn’t work for him.”
Here’s a lazy Google summary:
Quote:
Identity Politics
Definition: Political activity and theorizing founded on the shared experiences of members of certain social groups, often marginalized ones (e.g., racial minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, women).
Goal: To combat discrimination, achieve equity, and demand recognition for specific group identities.
Examples: Movements for racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, disability rights, or reproductive rights.
Culture Wars
Definition: Intense, polarized conflicts over fundamental cultural values, symbols, and norms, often framed as a struggle between traditional values and progressive/liberal ideas.
Scope: Broader than just identity; includes religion, ideology, speech, wealth distribution, and even nationalism.
Mechanism: Turns political disputes into existential battles over group identity and morality, often using divisive rhetoric and labels.
Key Differences & Relationship
Overlap: Identity politics issues (gender, race) are central battlegrounds within the culture wars.
Causality: Some argue identity politics fuels culture wars by fragmenting society; others see culture wars as a reaction to shifts in identity politics or progress.
Focus: Identity politics is about group identity; culture wars are about the clash of values that define those identities and the broader society.
Outcomes: Identity politics aims for justice; culture wars often result in polarization, antagonism, and a focus on status rather than material change, say some critics.
Pretty clear overlap there. Not sure why you’re trying to pretend Wolven made some off the wall interpretation. You could make a great argument that what Nanos is describing is closer the culture wars than typical identity politics, but he clearly says shifting from the economy/business/jobs to identity politics/culture wars stuff didn’t work for him.
Not even sure why it needed a rebuttal, let alone a combative one.
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This is just further evidence Carney knows exactly how bad the US is for Canada, and the measures we need to take to distance ourselves from them. Seeing Joly in this clip is telling(first 30 seconds). You can see on her face she is not at all pleased it has come to this. "We are in a new era with partnership with..China..."
I'm just happy an adult is in charge right now, and they are sacrificing some of their principles(environment) for the survival of the country.
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Did you watch the video? The CTV analyst literally said that Legault shifted toward culture war issues and the polls are showing he is losing ground because of it. That is the rationale they suggested is behind him stepping down.
This was your original comment:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolven
Sounds like he was dropping in the polls by shifting from being a "business guy" to a "culture war conservative" and the people aren't liking it.
Cultural nationalism is not conservative or right-wing in Quebec political culture. Parties of the left are enthusiastic champions of policies like banning headscarves in the public service and defending Quebec's linguistic and cultural heritage. Those are broadly popular positions in the province.
It's true that the Quebec electorate are concerned more with pocket-book issues atm. But interpreting Legault's positions as "culture-wars conservative" is projecting an American-Anglo political landscape onto a different society.
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Last edited by CliffFletcher; 01-16-2026 at 07:26 AM.
I love the EV deal and this makes me so happy. I’m sure the US is going to be pissed, but they don’t need out things and they want to bring all their auto manufacturing home anyway.
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I should add that part of what I love about the China trip, in general, is that he said “new world order” and all the crazies are frothing at the mouth. It’s so great!
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I don't think that's a very good deal for Canada. We trade a low value good to have a 15% tariff for a 6.1% on a finished product that our local market can't compete with. China thinks in much longer time frames than we do and they just got us to step in the pool and let them fit an anvil on our head.
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Fair assessment. Unfortunately our auto industry is tied to the US, who is currently fitting an explosive anvil to our head. Sticking with the US may be worse than going elsewhere. And I have a lot of problems with Chinese manufacturing, from labour to environmental practices. It certainly wouldn't lead to a made in Canada car being able to compete in any way with them.
Fair assessment. Unfortunately our auto industry is tied to the US, who is currently fitting an explosive anvil to our head. Sticking with the US may be worse than going elsewhere. And I have a lot of problems with Chinese manufacturing, from labour to environmental practices. It certainly wouldn't lead to a made in Canada car being able to compete in any way with them.
We are leaves at the whims of giants.
But we're going to save the World from Global Warming!! So we've got that going for us...which is nice.
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It's true that the Quebec electorate are concerned more with pocket-book issues atm. But interpreting Legault's positions as "culture-wars conservative" is projecting an American-Anglo political landscape onto a different society.
How quickly we’ve forgotten about our Pierre, our beautiful baby.
That “American-Anglo political landscape” was already imported by Mr. Poilievre and Quebec didn’t particularly like that either.
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Originally Posted by Locke
But we're going to save the World from Global Warming!! So we've got that going for us...which is nice.
This government hasn’t really made it much of a focus so not sure where you’re getting that from.
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I don't think that's a very good deal for Canada. We trade a low value good to have a 15% tariff for a 6.1% on a finished product that our local market can't compete with. China thinks in much longer time frames than we do and they just got us to step in the pool and let them fit an anvil on our head.
I get it, I do. But we need to be honest about what we are as a country. Canada has a great deal of natural resources. We sell those natural resources on the global market in return for finished products.
We send oil to gulf coast refineries, timber to U.S. pulp mills, minerals and ore to U.S. smelters....etc. etc. etc.
The only difference here is we are receiving a finished product from China instead of the U.S.
And frankly, China was our largest market for canola exports. Having that market open again to our farmers will be a huge benefit to the prices they get.
Now, do we need to be clear eyed about what engaging with China means? Of course. But diversifying from the U.S. right now is and must be the goal for the long term stability of our country. We can't simply ignore the second largest economy in the world, while trying to diversify away from the largest.
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How quickly we’ve forgotten about our Pierre, our beautiful baby.
That “American-Anglo political landscape” was already imported by Mr. Poilievre and Quebec didn’t particularly like that either.
Yeah, you're still not getting it. Defending Quebec's traditional culture, expecting immigrants to assimilate, and restricting religious symbols from public sector workers are not divisive, right-wing policies in Quebec. They're broadly popular, and supported by all major parties in the province.
The stuff Poilievre pushes - anti-vaxx, anti-trans, pro-guns, pro-Trump - are considered divisive and right wing.
Legault's mistep was like an NDP leader going on about climate change while most of his supporters were concerned about inflation. It's not that they wouldn't share his views on climate change, it's that they don't want it to be front and centre when they're worried about the cost of groceries.
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