Quebec solidaire (QS) failed to win in the regions in the last election. The party, which lost more than a percentage point in 45 rural and suburban ridings, is talking about a "regional divide."
Around 300 delegates met at the Collège Ahuntsic in Montreal at the national council on Saturday and Sunday to take stock of the last election campaign.
After a presentation by election manager Julie Dionne on Saturday morning, the party declared a closed session to allow members to express their grievances away from the cameras.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and Manon Massé's party dreamed of forming the official opposition in the national assembly, but only elected eleven deputies on Oct. 3.
Dionne said the findings in the regions are remarkable: QS gained more than a percentage point in only nine rural or suburban ridings, while it lost points in 45 of them.
Conversely, the party lost percentage points in two urban districts but gained in 18.
"If we look at urban constituencies, an additional 1.72 percentage points on average (...), and 2.15 less on average in rural constituencies. It is really marked. The same campaign did not happen in both cases," said Dionne.
During his opening speech, Nadeau-Dubois invited people to "get out of the echo chambers" and meet people, especially those in the regions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 11, 2023.
