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The PQ and the Socialist International

Philippe Poulin. « La tentative d’adhésion du Parti québécois à l’internationale socialiste », dans Bulletin d'histoire politique, vol. 6, numéro 3, printemps 1998, pp. 86-106

• Before 1981 - The PQ was invited by France to participate to various congresses of the IS
• 1981 - Sylvain Simard becomes VP of the party and Nadia Assimopoulos is appointed president of the Comité des relations internationales: both favour joining the Socialist International with full member status (p. 88) Other avowed partisans of the move are Jacques-Yvan Morin and Bernard Landry .
• 1981 - In december (and Frebruary 1982), membership to the IS is deliberated upon in the PQ's Congrès national.
• 1982 - In the programme of the PQ :

"...so that it may emerge on the international scene as part of the group of parties of social-democratic obedience, the Parti Québécois must take the place corresponding to its importance and that of Quebec on the international scene.

Consequently,

a) the party will intensify the relations it developed over the past years with the whole of the parties and political groups belonging to the same political family as itself;

b) to do so, as a social democratic party, the party should join, as full member, the International socialist;

c) the party will set up a Secrétariat des Affaires internationales connected to the National Executive and responsible of this activity sector. This secretariat will consider the most efficient means of accomplishing its duty, notably the publication of a foreign bulletin destined to political parties and groups as well as institutions and individuals interested in Quebec affairs"

(René Lévesque : is wary of labels: "social democrats" is a European term he says, our political adversaries already damaged our image by calling us "Castros of the North", etc.)

• 1982 - April, René Lévesque declare to the press (during a visit of Lionel Jospin, Jacques Hutsinger and others) :

"As for the party, there are relations... You know we have met recently — some of us, of whom yours truly — Mr. Jospin who is currently Secrétaire général of the French Socialist Party with a few of his collaborators and it somewhat allowed for the intensification of those personal ties which have been established between our parties since a few years already. It is not new."

"But from there to actually formalizing this, to knock at the door, or beg for a membership to whatever international association, no, that is not the case. Our part has already stated it would be interested in being accepted at the International Socialist. The day they will want it, they will let us know, because we have sufficient contact [with them] to know what is and is not coming."

• 1982 - June, in the American magazine Barron's, Lévesque :

"People call us social democrats. What the hell does that mean? It's a European term, social democrats. Let's say progressives, North American-style. Like the progressives you had in the states at various times, with a lot of differences because everybody is tied to his own context. ... We don't have any gospel of socialism of any kind. We are pragmatic, like anybody else. ... When we were elected in 1976, I remember articles - maybe in Barron's - calling us Catros of the North (...). That was propaganda from Ottawa and Toronto, and from former Canadians, English Canadians, in Chicago and New York."

• 1982 - December, Simard is in Paris to meet Lionel Jospin (first secretary of the PS) and Jacques Hutsinger (responsible for international relations at the PS). Simard wants to know what steps should be taken to obtain membership at the IS. Conclusion: the proposition must not come from France herself, the PM (Lévesque) must fully support the move, the New Democratic Party (NDP) must agree. Simard also meet Bent Carlson, general secretary of the IS. Bent Carlson is very open and will do everything he can to help according to Simard and Assimopoulos.)

• 1983 - In the winter, the Exécutif national of the PQ and the Cabinet of Quebec (under Lévesque) take the decision to proceed with a formal demand for membership to be submitted at the biennial Congress of the IS in Albufeira, Portugal from April 7 to 10 1983

A tradition of the IS stipulats there is only one socialist party per country. The NDP is a member since 1944. Two historical precedents however derogate to the "rule": Belgium and Italy.

The NDP does not have a real foundation in Quebec and never had a single MP elected in Quebec, while the PQ took power at the provincial level in about a decade

• 1983, Winter, Simard meets Gerry Caplan, general secretary of NDP on three occasion. He appears sympathetic to the idea, as are some others in the entourage of Ed Broadbent, according to Simard. Cold reception at the Executive however. Difficult discussion: the NDP is an association of provincial parties giving themselves a national voice. Simard claims he obtained an informal and verbal deal: ask for membership as observer and we will not object. Full membership is formally opposed

• 1983, on April 3rd the PQ's demand for membership is studied by the Finance Committee of the IS. Tony Penikett and Ed Broadbent who are on the Committee oppose the demand and deny there had ever been any verbal agreement between the PQ and the NDP. Jospin asked to adjourn the deliberation and postpone the vote. The NDP went farther: they circulated a dossier on the PQ, which according to them was not worthy of the IS. The NDP evoked the fact that Quebec used the notwithstanding clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and negotiated salaries in a harsh manner with the employees of the civil service. The French and Belgians did not abandon the PQ. The PQ even gained the support of the Italians, the Spanish, the Portuguese and the Israelis. Only Canada opposed the PQ, but unanimity was required for any move on the question (in favour or against).

In the end the compromise was as follows: the PQ will be an observing member, but only when invited. The PQ came back claiming victory while the NDP denied the PQ had obtained a recognition at the IS.

• 1984, the reference to full membership to the IS was removed from the party's programme of 1984.

The close relation between the PQ and the PS and more so the demand for membership at the IS was disliked very much by the French right, which was very sympathetic to Quebec's independence movement since Charles de Gaulle's "Vive le Québec libre" declaration in 1967. Jacques Chirac did not accept it and confided to Louise Beaudoin he would have preferred the party joining the Liberal International

Notes

References

• Philippe Poulin. « La tentative d’adhésion du Parti québécois à l’internationale socialiste », dans Bulletin d'histoire politique, vol. 6, numéro 3, printemps 1998, pp. 86-106