Jean Charest's decline shows that Quebecers are not ready to throw support behind federal Conservatives

by Peter Tremblay

	Jean Charest and Stpehen Harper (right).

Quebec Jean Charest was convinced that a couple billion dollars from the Stephen Harper minority government, would provide an easy win for Quebec Liberals. The reason that Mr. Harper and Mr. Charest thought that way is that both of them are neo-conservatives, who have adopted an Americanized perspective on politics. In the United States, people have been led to primarily think of themselves in a self-centred way, in terms of a tax-cutting agenda, they are less vitally concerned with the health of their community. In Quebec, which has embraced the heart of the Canadian political spirit, despite the separatist mentalities which have been fostered by clique of some elites in that province, people are axiomatically concerned about cultural vitality. Quebecers, realize that putting money into strengthening the declining public healthcare system of that province, and into progressive social policy, affirms their access to quality-of-living.

Many commentators on the Quebec election have conveniently also forgotten that Jean Charest was once the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. He sought to become a Quebec leader, for his own political self-advancement, relative to at that time, the declining prospects for him becoming Prime Minister of Canada, as the leader of the federal Tories. Mr. Charest, therefore did not enter Quebec politics in the first place, because he had an inspiring vision for Quebec. He entered Quebec politics because the opportunity to become leader of the Quebec Liberals presented itself. He sought the leadership, and had enough backers from Quebec Big Business interests to become Premier.

Since becoming Premier of Quebec, Jean Charest has not acted as a progressive Liberal; but instead, as the true 'Conservative' that he is, he sabotaged labour rights, ignored the plight of disenfranchised Quebecers from the poor to university students, and presided over the decline of the public healthcare system. Jean Charest's close association to his politically conservative federal counterpart, Stephen Harper, therefore presented Quebecers with an unsavoury neo-conservative alliance, which presented no interest in trying to use some of that multi-billion dollar budget to constructively repair Quebec's declining social fabric, including the healthcare system.

Today, Quebecers are more politically sophisticated and culturally sensitive than to be easily won over by Mr. Charest's one-dimensional neo-conservative inspired tax cutting agenda. Quebecers are inspired by a community ethic, and not the kind of selfish individualism which has taken the U.S. hostage, in a manner which had resulted in widening internal economic disparity.

Economic disparity in the United States, under tax cutting political agendas between the U.S. Democratic and Republican parties, has caused the worsening social malaise in America's cities, and that has fostered a culture of alienation and violent crime. That is the direction which the policy and programs of Premier Charest would like to lead Quebec, as Big Business interest make massive commercial profits.

The Action Democratique's (ADQ) new found political power base, provides Quebecers with a political party which promises to stand up more for Quebecers within the new provincial minority government, while not having to worry about entrusting leadership to the self-serving separatist agenda of the Parti Quebecois.

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