Dr. Alwin Spence
So, as expected the Liberal knives are being sharpened and ready for what may be major surgery. A surgeon-in-chief has not yet come forward since everyone wants to be anonymous.
Diagnosis is now taking place, what is found will determine the type of operation.
For someone who has supported the leader of the Official Opposition down to the last count of 21 seats, I was not disappointed, and Ms. Dominique Anglade has nothing to be ashamed of.
Generally speaking it is said that the incumbent or the government loses an election, and not so much that the other party wins. The election of 2018 saw the sitting Liberal government being thrown out of office, its leader resigned and a new leader appointed.
This defeat was so complete that the stage was set for the Liberals to be behind the clouds for at least two terms, unless the CAQ, the 2018 winner loses. It avoided this and even increased its majority.
But four years in power has given the voters an opportunity to see the stuff from which the CAQ. is made.
Like it or not it can be seriously challenged.
This opposition cannot come from Anglophones alone. As a matter of fact, language should be removed from its political and politicised preoccupation. It should be an issue for everyone or no one at all. This will create an even playing field.
None of the other parties were running against the CAQ. It was a foregone conclusion that the CAQ, hands down, would win easily. So the fight was now to unseat the official opposition of the last sitting. Here again it was for the Liberal to lose its official status.
Like the CAQ, the Liberal won and is still the opposition. It was able to stave off the attack of four other parties to maintain its position. Two of these parties were not able to procure any seats, but they pulled Anglophone votes away.
So the deck was stacked against Ms. Anglade for daring to recommend more French for the Anglophone communities. The CAQ. liked the suggestion, but the Anglophones objected, and with some hasty damage control, and the hard work and energy of the Liberal leader, the party survived though with a reduced number.
So, as I said before, the knives are being sharpened, preparing for some kind of a leadership review. Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, the Montreal Gazette published a cartoon by Aislin, where the Liberal leader was sitting in the back of a Liberal car with absolutely no wheels, and no driver.
Like beauty, this cartoon is left to the interpretation of the feelings and moods of the different people who inspect it. If Ms. Anglade had lost her seat, which some had hoped for, it would be easy to walk away.
But winning her seat and fighting very hard to remain as opposition leader is an achievement in itself. The question now is, should she bow out gracefully since the cup is half full, or bow out gracefully since the cup is half empty, or fight the knives even with a half full cup, or a half empty cup. A hard choice to make.
All I would say at this time is, not becoming premier of Quebec is not the end of the road. There is still a lot left in you that will cause you to keep climbing and to continue to serve, not only Quebec, but Canada and the world at large.
KEEP ON KEEPING ON.
