QS takes on grandparents’ vote

Known for its support among young people, Québec solidaire is now also courting seniors, among whom the party hopes to revive the memory of the Quiet Revolution and major projects.

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Since the beginning of the election campaign, the outings of Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois have shown a particular interest in voting for seniors. The spokesperson for QS notably announced that part of the Generations Fund will be used to help them, in particular through a significant improvement in home care.

But above all, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois draws a parallel between the heyday of the nationalization of hydroelectricity and his Transportation Revolution project, which aims to provide transportation by bus or train throughout Quebec.

“The generation of builders who made the Quiet Revolution is still with us in Quebec. I think that generation might want to reconnect with this ambition to do great things in Quebec. For me, the ecological transition is an opportunity to redo this intergenerational alliance there to reconnect with the love of major projects in Quebec, ”he said last Saturday.

Growth potential

Behind the scenes, it is confirmed that the party is seeing growth potential among those 55 and over, where the party is only 7% according to a recent Léger poll. With 35% support among 18-34 year olds, it’s hard to get more votes among young people, but a few extra votes among baby boomers could make the difference in tight battles.

In fact, the party is building hope in three demographic categories: youth, young families and seniors. A well-placed source in the organization also confirms that Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois obtains good scores with ladies of a certain age, according to party probes.

Success among seniors

On the ground, anecdotes come to support the claims with the elders. In Saint-Jérôme, on Monday, a lady spontaneously came to shake hands with the 32-year-old young man.

« Do you like him? » “Asks the representative of the Journal.

« Oh yes, » replies the lady taken with a certain emotion.

Her spouse, Gilles, admits that he is thinking of voting for QS, for the first time. Coming from the world of education, the 78-year-old man did not like the leader of the red squares very much during the student strike in 2012.

Surprisingly, that past is now working in his favor. “It was not pleasant from the outside, but it was good for the people he represented. If he is ready to give everything he can for the people he represents, now is the time to do it,” he confides.

But QS’s aspirations could also come up against a certain vision of feminism. “The veil, veiled women, I don’t accept that in Quebec. I am against the submission of women, ”says Ginette Bernard, who met on Saturday at the Rimouski Public Market. Indeed, QS would again allow the wearing of religious symbols for state employees in positions of authority.

“So, if Québec solidaire removed that from their platform, I might be interested in voting for them, but that, right now, is stopping me,” says Ms. Bernard.

A few steps further, Denise Desrosiers, aged 70, mentions the importance of better financing the public system. Her mother, she says, “suffered a lot of abuse” in CHSLDs. She will take the time to watch the programs, but her choice is stopped at « 99.9% », says the lady.

Dany St-Pierre, from the South Shore of Montreal, admits that he does not know enough about the QS program to comment. But he has sympathy for the former student leader.

“He is a dynamic young man who moves society,” he observes.

It must be said that with his graying hair and his pram to walk his little girl of six months, the student leader has given way to the image of a young father, better able to seduce a wider electorate.