Eric Duhaime and Poilievre syndrome

Éric Duhaime's failure to win the by-election in Arthabaska is a severe blow for him and his troops. Despite months of intensive work in the riding, the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec was overtaken by PQ candidate Alex Boissonneault.

With 35% of the vote for Mr. Duhaime, 10 points more for his party than in the 2022 elections, the dishonor is, however, relative. The real danger for him lies elsewhere. This danger is the Poilievre syndrome.

On a more modest scale in Arthabaska, Éric Duhaime, like the federal Conservative leader, was unable to broaden his support beyond his core loyalists enough to win.

As soon as he found himself facing Mark Carney, an opponent perceived as more unifying in times of crisis, let us remember that Mr. Poilievre, without losing in dishonor either, saw himself returned to his traditional electoral base.

Populist and polarizing

The reason? A populist and hyper-polarizing politician, Pierre Poilievre, unlike Mark Carney, paid the price for his true political nature.

So much so that even sovereignist voters in Quebec preferred to vote Liberal to confront Trump, but also to "block" Poilievre.

In Arthabaska, Éric Duhaime's defeat can also be partly explained by his nature as a populist and polarizing politician in a context where voters are looking for something else.

So, in Arthabaska, how many CAQ, Liberal or Solidarity voters voted for the PQ out of anger against the CAQ, but also to "block" Duhaime?

This reform that never comes

Is the Poilievre syndrome likely to once again plague Éric Duhaime and his party in the 2026 elections? The question is,

As for the serious "democratic distortions" he complains about under a voting system that traps his party as well as others, he is, however, right.

However, if these distortions exist, it is because several leaders – from Justin Trudeau to François Legault, including Jean Charest and René Lévesque – all promised to reform the voting system before being struck with amnesia once in power...