As a new poll suggests the party's support is at the lowest level in years, the Quebec Liberal Party caucus convened in Laval for their annual convention on Saturday to discuss what the party could learn from, among other things, Donald Trump.
“The most important thing and the thing where Hillary Clinton failed, in my opinion, is that she forgot to inspire 49 per cent of the people who didn’t vote,” election strategist Stephen Carter told the packed convention room.
Carter was brought into the fold to help the Liberals turn dwindling support levels, which according to a new Leger poll, has dipped to their lowest since 2012 and sees the party tied with the Parti Quebecois.
The new poll was commissioned by the Coalition Avenir Québec.
Carter told the caucus the party needs to get back to actually listening to voters, pointing to the gains Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi got with a promise of building more soccer fields.
“There’s a lot of people, a lot of recent immigrants to Canada for whom a soccer pitch is more than a soccer pitch, it’s a community gathering place,” said Carter. “It turns out, for guys who have been in Canada for a long time, it’s the exact same thing. So we find things that appeal to both tribes.”
The party is also turning away from austerity, according to Quebec Finance Minister Carlos Leitao, and it is time to reinvest in social programs.
“We inquired back and clearly understand that healthcare and education are core public services and we are going to make sure that those core services are funded correctly,” he said.
Meantime, Couillard had the task of trying to reconnect with the party faithful, and he attempted to make inroads by reminding the caucus of what unites them.
"We all share the same citizenship, only one class of citizen the first class -- only time of arrival [marking a] difference," he said.
However, according to a long-time militant of the party, Martin Drapeau, Couillard failed to reconnect with PLQ members.
—with files from La Presse Canadienne and CTV Reporter Rob Lurie