'I want to push the limits of what's possible!' proclaims Quebec solidaire MNA

Quebec Solidaire MNA Sol Zanetti questions the government during question period, Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at the legislature in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot, The Canadian Press)

After parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois laid his cards on the table on Wednesday, it was Sol Zanetti's turn to set out his vision for Québec solidaire (QS).

Uncomfortable with his leader's label as a pragmatist, he believes that the party should not be afraid to "step outside the box," nor try to "meet the demands of the full-time machine," but rather "push the limits of the possible."

While acknowledging that debates will be necessary within his party, Zanetti remains cautious about attacking Nadeau-Dubois.

However, in a letter copied to The Canadian Press, he writes that QS must make a difficult choice if it is not to "lose any more Catherine (Dorion) and Émilise (Lessard-Therrien)," two women who have criticized the leadership style of the cherished Solidaire parliamentarian.

"I refuse to personalize this affair or reduce it to a gang war," said Zanetti in his first public appearance since the shock resignation of Lessard-Therrien on Monday.

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QS has been in crisis ever since she stepped down as co-spokesperson just a few months after being elected. In a message explaining the reasons for her departure, she criticized Nadeau-Dubois - without naming him - and the "small team of professionals tightly knit around him."

On Wednesday, the Solidaire parliamentary leader came to present his vision, saying he wants QS to become a "government party" with a more "pragmatic" program and a leaner structure.

"The word 'pragmatic' has a negative connotation for some on the left. I don't want to use that term to define myself, but at the same time, I don't want to reject it either," said Zanetti in an interview with The Canadian Press.

"I don't recognize myself in this dichotomy. I'm someone who wants to make things work and push the limits of what's possible," he said.

Zanetti is not alone in feeling uncomfortable with the term pragmatist. Although he calls himself a pragmatist, MNA Guillaume Cliche-Rivard seemed intent on keeping his distance from the term this week. The party's new interim co-spokesperson, Christine Labrie, on the other hand, fully embraces it.

In his letter, Zanetti said that "since Day 1," he wanted QS "to be a party of government, but not a party or a government like the others."

He also wants the party to find solutions to ensure greater equality between the two spokespersons.

The Jean-Lesage MNA believes that the party should not be afraid to do things simply because they may not be popular: "We need to take that risk more often. And that's something we're all capable of doing. Gabriel is capable of doing that," he said.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 4, 2024.