Recomposition of the Quebec Left and the political role of trade unions
This article offers a critical perspective on the recent transformations of the Quebec Left and their impact on the political action of trade unionism. In particular, it analyzes the rise of Québec solidaire (a political party), not only in terms of the changing relationship between the social question and the national question but also in the context of the emergence of new left-wing parties internationally. The traditional partisan alliances of Quebec unionism already differed from those observed in English Canada, particularly due to the historically weak presence of the New Democratic Party in Quebec. The arrival of Québec solidaire has challenged the formal or informal proximity of many sectors of the labour movement to the Parti Québécois, albeit without creating a new hegemony. On both the union and partisan sides, strategic dimensions continue to occupy a predominant place in their relations with the other sphere and give rise to a diversity of configurations that stand in the way, for the time being, of clearly identifying a new model for understanding the relations between unions and political parties.