André Pratte: Why I’m returning to Quebec politics at a ‘crucial’ time
André Pratte, the veteran journalist, is returning to a senior role inside the Quebec Liberal Party at what he tells The Gazette is a “crucial” moment for the province’s future.
The 68-year-old will once again chair the party’s National Political Commission, which he describes as effectively its internal think-tank ahead of an election expected this fall. He chaired the Commission from 2023 until 2025 before leaving for professional reasons.
The party has since seen a period of upheaval: leadership turmoil at the very top, following the scandal and then resignation of Pablo Rodriguez as party leader over financing allegations, along with turnover in other positions.
“I’ve resolved my professional issues, and I was available to come back,” Pratte said in a phone interview Saturday. “I am convinced that the next election will be crucial for Quebec’s history, and I want to be involved and try to be helpful in any way.”
“I firmly believe that the next election will be historically important for Quebec and Canada, and that Quebec needs a liberal and a federalist government in the current circumstances.”
When Pratte, who once served as editor-in-chief of La Presse and has written columns for The Gazette, previously stepped down from the Commission, he was replaced by former minister Martin Coiteux, who held the post briefly. Antoine Dionne-Charest later served as interim chair, while Charles Milliard was acclaimed leader in February.
“The new leader, people like him.”
Pratte will oversee the policy commission’s work feeding into the party’s electoral platform. He says this is an urgent task.
“We’re making a platform for the next election,” he said, noting the 30-something members on the committee met for the first time Saturday morning. “People are very positive. The new leader, people like him. They find him authentic. And so I think the opportunity is there.”
“We don’t have that much time,” he added. “But we’re working hard so that we can not only have a good leader and good candidates, which I’m sure we’ll have, but also have a platform that addresses Quebecers’ concerns.”
A Léger poll earlier this month suggested the Liberals had edged to within a single point of the Parti Québécois, whose charismatic leader continues to advocate for a referendum on independence, which remains broadly unpopular with voters, according to recent polling.
Pratte’s role, he said, would be to act as a bridge between Liberal party members and leadership, and help translate concerns into policy.
“The responsibility that we have is really to address Quebecers’ real, concrete problems today, starting with the cost of living and housing shortage.
“The prices of houses, condos, and apartments are extremely high. So that’s, I think, most Quebecers’ priorities. We have to address that on the platform,” he said, adding public services are also not working as they should.
“People in Quebec pay high taxes, and they expect that, in return for those taxes, they get services from the government that work, and that’s not the case currently. So again, we have to arrive with proposed solutions to those problems that are both practical and affordable, because the fiscal situation of the current government is not good.”
The party is expected to begin outlining parts of its platform in early summer, he said, though Pratte added voters would not see the full picture until the campaign itself.
“I think it’s too early to say. We have a general meeting planned for sometime in June,” he said.
“We may get some indications at that time, but we don’t want to unveil our whole platform five months before the election. We’ll keep at least parts of it for the campaign itself.”
Do you have a story tip? Write to me at hnorth@postmedia.com
The post André Pratte: Why I’m returning to Quebec politics at a ‘crucial’ time appeared first on Montreal Gazette.