Quebec Provincial election October 1, 2018

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Went to the Congrès des Jeunes Libéraux today! The Liberals have such a well-organized youth wing it's insane. Youth also are guaranteed just about 1/3 of everything in the party, so they end up better off than youth wings of any other party.

10 different resolutions were passed, including one calling for an end to sales of gasoline only cars by 2040, one pushing for immigrants to settle in rural areas with job openings, one asking the government to promote autonomous public transit, one encouraging healthier eating, and one seeking to develop a provincial strategy for mental health on campus. This last one is similar to a motion that in the past brought about a strategy for addressing sexual assault on campus.

Quite interesting nothing about Pharmacare or Universal Dental Care, moving toward free post-secondary tuition for all, etc.  This is Canada's most left-wing/socialist province, and these things are being brought forward?  A good friend of mine has a good government job in Montreal and it's shocking to me that even their insurance coverage only covers about 75% of medication costs.  That's unheard of in the public sector in Ontario, where cost get 100% pharmacare/dental costs covered.

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I might have asked this before, but it's an honest question. Why is there no strong left-wing federalist party in Quebec? To me, it doesn't make any sense anymore. The PQ/BQ position has been decimated by the electorate. And yes, I'm well aware that Quebec is not the left-wing haven that so many make it out to be (Montreal, perhaps, but certainly the rest of the province). What ever happened with the NPDQ or has the collapse of the federal NDP in Quebec taken its toll?

Francophones in Quebec were forced into being made a British colony, and for many even today (I would say more the baby boomers than millennials), it still 'hurts' - something those arguing for a federalist Left in Quebec need to be respectful of.

I'm curious as to why you think Quebec is not left-wing? And by 'left-wing' do you mean socialist?  I would say it's the most socialist province/state in North America

Some examples of why Quebec is considered socialist/democratic socialist

Free college tuition
Lowest university tuition in North America (~3,000 CAD per year)
Highest income tax rate in North America (highest earners ~58%)
Highest subsidized and fully government-run daycare program in North America
First province in Canada to have a pharmacare program (for those without private insurance - although not the greatest, still better than nothing)
etc.

The Liberals, I might add, governed supporting all these things.  So it's odd for me to hear that anyone would say the province isn't "left wing".  If any party governed on these things in any state in the US they would be seen as extremists. 

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There's no question that Quebec is more nationalistic and hostile to immigration (especially Muslim immigration) than other provinces. However, as much as this may seem like social conservatism, it isn't indicative of an overall more conservative province. Here is the major paradox of Quebec politics. Quebec is liberal on issues like abortion and gay marriage, even more so than the rest of Canada. However, Quebec has lower levels of religious disaffiliation than other provinces but also far lower church attendance. This is a function of the Silent Revolution of the 1960s, in which a clerical, corporatist province rapidly secularized, leaving some vestiges of its old past. Quebec is still somewhat wrapped up in Catholic identity without embodying Catholic socially conservative politics. This is visible in debates over things like the cross in the National Assembly, which was supported by those who wanted to get rid of public religious symbolism on employees. (http://www.pewforum.org/2013/06/27/canadas-changing-religious-landscape/)

The way I explain it to my American friends is that Quebec is kind of in its own post-xenophobic, post-racialized, post-homophobic world.  For the last 50 years+ it has been the place of live and let live of Canada (do what you want to do) but the big caveat is that you better not be "hurting" or causing harm to anyone else in doing that.  Their position on muslims is more like Bill Maher's position than Bill O'Reilley's.  Everyone is on an even playing field, so if you have a book that says racist or homophobic things, or forces women to do anything, we won't put up with it.  It comes off as Conservative to people who haven't lived through that post-(xenophobic/homophobic/sexist/racial) world.  We are all "survivors" so to speak (in terms of victimhood, whether it be by our language, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc), so we are all disadvantaged, so the affirmative action doesn't really work either.  There is common understanding by everyone that it's been a struggle for everyone.

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QS being higher among 34-54 year olds than among 18-34 yos (and being behind the Parti Vert in the younger demo) in the Leger poll is so interesting to me.  Forum doesn't mention Parti Vert by name, and that's when we see QS numbers inflate in the younger demo.