The Quebec election of April 7, 2014 was described as among the most tumultuous in the province’s history. 

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Quebec has been called a distinct province within Canada. It is the only majority french-speaking province in the country, and the only majority french-speaking jurisdiction in North America. It is also the only Canadian province that has twice held popular referenda on independence from Canada.

The party in power on both of those occasions was the Parti Quebecois, which was founded in 1968. The party formed a government in 2012 riding to power on the heels of one of the nation’s most dramatic student uprisings in recent memory.

But on the evening of April 7, the party suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the Liberals, a party which has been dogged in recent years by accusations of scandal and that has put forward the very neo-liberal measures that galvanized the student protests referred to as Printemps érable (Maple Spring.)

Much commentary has revolved around the election being a referendum on the referendum for Quebec independence. Although another notable aspect of the campaign was the nomination of billionaire media mogul Pierre Karl Péladeau, who is somewhat notorious for his anti-labour tactics which include 14 lockouts and the use of replacement workers.

It is media that frames and shapes elections. The framing of issues are a large part of what determines electoral outcomes.

This installment of the Global Research News Hour attempts to explore some of the less talked about elements of the past campaign. The interviews took place on Thursday April 3, on the same day as a major protest against neoliberal austerity measures being pursued by the Parti Québécois before and during the election.

Our two interview guests, Rodrigue Tremblay and Stefan Christoff, have very different takes on the important political discussions being ignored on the campaign trail. But together, they help fill in the picture on this unique canvass that is the Quebec political scene.

Rodrigue Tremblay is an Emeritus Professor of Economics at the Université de Montréal. He has been a proponent of a North American Free Trade area, a Quebec nationalist, and a one time member of the National Assembly as a member of the PQ. He is the author of The Code for Global Ethics: Ten humanist Principles, and The New American Empire.

Stefan Christoff is a musician, writer and community activist based in Montreal. he was active during the Quebec student uprisings in the spring of 2012 and spoke to the Global Research News Hour immediately after the April 3 anti-austerity protests.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Length (59:09)
Click to download the audio (MP3 format)

The Global Research News Hour, hosted by Michael Welch, airs on CKUW 95.9FM in Winnipeg Fridays at 1pm CDT. The programme is also broadcast weekly (Monday, 5-6pm ET) by the Progressive Radio Network in the US, and is available for download on the Global Research website.