Québec solidaire, a leftist sovereigntist celebration struggling within the polls, says it’s taking inspiration from New York’s democratic socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, forward of the October provincial election.
At its weekend conference in Montreal, the celebration, which holds 11 of the nationwide meeting’s 125 seats, will probably be debating points like hire caps and publicly run grocery shops — concepts related these Mamdani campaigned on.
However whereas Ruba Ghazal — Québec solidaire’s co-spokesperson and legislature chief — says they’re the one viable possibility for Quebec leftists, the celebration is sitting on the backside of the polls in a province identified for social democratic and interventionist insurance policies.
“Although the instances could appear powerful for the left, the left can nonetheless win,” she mentioned in a current interview, referring to Mamdani’s November 2025 victory in New York on an unabashedly leftist platform. “And that evokes me.”
Mamdani’s guarantees included sooner — and free — buses, in addition to city-run grocery shops. The preliminary retailer, he mentioned, would open subsequent yr, with the remaining retailers — ultimately one in every of New York Metropolis’s 5 boroughs — opening by the tip of his four-year time period.
Ghazal says Quebecers have already got “4 flavours of conservatism to select from” between the governing Coalition Avenir Québec, the Parti Québécois, the Liberals and the Conservatives.
“We’re alone on the left …. This offers us an important alternative to deal with the problems which might be priorities for Quebecers, however that others uncared for,” she mentioned.
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The price of residing and wealth redistribution will probably be prime points over the weekend, Ghazal mentioned. Members will even talk about the housing disaster, the atmosphere, well being and gender equality.
Daniel Béland, the director of McGill’s Institute for the Examine of Canada, says the agenda Québec solidaire adopts at its conference — particularly on fiscal points and the query of a sovereignty referendum — will probably be pivotal for the celebration. Québec solidaire will even have to enhance its messaging to broaden its enchantment past city centres and younger folks, he added.
“I believe the left is in a tough state of affairs in lots of components of the nation, however not in all places,” Béland mentioned. “You go to Manitoba, the left, it’s going nice. However … the NDP in Manitoba, it’s fairly totally different from Québec solidaire.”
Béland says Ghazal’s celebration might take inspiration from Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew who moved his NDP nearer to the centre whereas preserving a populist flavour.
“They should persuade people who they’ve a critical, absolutely vetted spending plan that’s not one thing that can blow up the provincial finances,” he mentioned.
He provides that Québec solidaire’s former co-spokesperson, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, tried to carry the celebration nearer to the centre, however that strategy created inner tensions.
Béland says that sliding towards the centre shouldn’t be all the time a profitable technique, as proven by former federal NDP leaders Jagmeet Singh and Tom Mulcair. Mulcair, who was official Opposition chief within the 2015 election, campaigned to the suitable of the Liberals on financial points, then noticed his celebration fall to 3rd place. The NDP beneath Singh didn’t preserve official celebration standing within the 2025 election.
Beneath new chief Avi Lewis, the federal NDP is placing ahead concepts like publicly run grocery shops and opposition to new fossil gasoline developments — positions much like Québec solidaire’s.
“Avi Lewis is making an attempt one thing else, however he has not proven but that it’ll work,” Béland mentioned.
Jean-François Daoust, Université de Sherbrooke political science professor, says Québec solidaire is preventing for survival and will wrestle to hold on to their 11 seats. Ballot aggregator Qc125 says the celebration would win seven ridings if an election had been held at this time.
Each Daoust and Béland agree that Québec solidaire’s place on a possible sovereignty referendum will must be made clear earlier than election day. Québec solidaire, they are saying, might make inroads with voters due to the PQ’s aggressive push to carry a referendum by 2030 and that celebration’s shift to the suitable on immigration and cultural points.
The concept of a referendum shouldn’t be interesting to two-thirds of Quebecers and plenty of Québec solidaire members have voted up to now for the PQ. Ought to Québec solidaire persuade voters they aren’t in a rush just like the PQ to carry a sovereignty referendum, the celebration might decide up assist from voters — even federalists — with robust leftist politics, Béland mentioned.
“Québec solidaire must enchantment initially to the left. After which to sovereigntists,” he mentioned.
© 2026 The Canadian Press