Prioritizing Workers in Québec Solidarity's Agenda: A Declared Plan of Action
Rewritten Article:
Quebec Solidaire's New Agenda: Prioritizing Workers' Rights
It's full steam ahead for Quebec Solidaire (QS) as their top brass, Ruba Ghazal and Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, prepare to unveil a fresh roadmap, outlining an increased emphasis on workers' rights. Dubbed a "manifesto," this blueprint is set to take center stage in the party's plans, aiming for approval by June 2025.
Sent out to QS members last week, the manifesto serves as a guiding light, presenting a clear vision centered on the defense of workers. This ambitious document will be formally presented and put to a vote at the national council in June 2025, following the same path as the "Saguenay Declaration" from the previous year.
This bold move comes after QS's female spokesperson, Ruba Ghazal, called for the party to reclaim its focus, becoming a beacon for workers once more. In her first address since Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois stepped down, Ghazal was emphatic about the need to elevate the struggles of everyday people, such as nurses, farmers, housekeepers, and janitors, to the forefront.
"Something's Gotta Give"
In their 1500-word text, titled "A Manifesto for Quebec Solidaire of the Workers," Ruba Ghazal and her interim colleague, Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, paint a stark picture of the current Quebec social safety net, stating that it fails to serve the majority. The rich continue to prosper, inequalities widen, and the middle class grapples with insecurity and crippling debt.
"There's Something Wrong in Quebec" asserts the duo, attributing these issues to the decisions of previous governments, particularly the Coalition Avenir Quebec, with their tax cuts and budgetary austerity measures.
Reached by this website this week, Ruba Ghazal mentioned her intention to deposit the manifesto to ensure that the fight against the cost-of-living crisis and the defense of workers are etched in stone in Quebec Solidaire's platform leading up to the general election in October 2026. As part of a broader action plan, she believes this is the first step in a significant journey for the party.
"Let Your Voice Be Heard"
According to Ghazal, the message projected by Quebec Solidaire should resonate with the population. For her, the message is clear: Quebec Solidaire is the party of the workers, standing strong for the nurses working late shifts, the farmers filling plates, and the housekeepers and janitors making ends meet.
"It wasn't clear that was our message" Ghazal acknowledged, referring to the party's internal challenges following the departure of Emilise Lessard-Therrien and Emilise Nadeau-Dubois.
Fighting the Housing and Cost-of-Living Crises
In the manifesto she co-authors with Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, Ruba Ghazal proposes a series of measures to combat the housing crisis, the cost-of-living crisis, and the erosion of workers' rights in recent years.
The roadmap calls for the "banning of lockouts" and the "inclusion of the right to strike in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms." It reinforces the promise of a minimum wage increase to $20 per hour and plans for a significant strengthening of the state's role in the construction and management of the housing stock.
"Could it be a state-owned company?" Ruba Ghazal mused aloud.
A Successful Blueprint
If adopted in June - subject to modification by the assembled delegates - the manifesto will serve as a guide for upcoming actions, whether in the Parliament, on the streets, or in policy proposals. It could even inform the party's electoral platform for 2026. As Ghazal stated, the core values behind Quebec Solidaire, namely feminism, independence, the environment, and social justice, remain steadfast.
"The idea here is to prioritize" Ghazal clarified. She is not the party leader, but she has the legitimacy to present proposals for consideration, she emphasized. She does not expect fierce resistance from the members, unlike the response to Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois's call to make QS a governing party.
"On the contrary, I sense a favorable welcome" Ghazal concluded.
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- The Quebec Solidaire party's new manifesto, set for approval by June 2025, focuses on defending workers' rights and addresses the failing social safety net in Quebec, particularly the housing and cost-of-living crises.
- The manifesto, titled "A Manifesto for Quebec Solidaire of the Workers," calls for the banning of lockouts, the inclusion of the right to strike in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and plans for a significant strengthening of the state's role in housing construction and management.
- Ruba Ghazal, Quebec Solidaire's female spokesperson, believes that their new policies, based on feminism, independence, the environment, and social justice, will resonate with the population and make it clear that Quebec Solidaire is the party of everyday workers.
- Ghazal's manifesto, if adopted in June, could serve as a guide for the party's future actions, influencing policy proposals, Parliamentary decisions, and potentially shaping the party's electoral platform for the 2026 general election.
