Qubec Solidaire at crossroads as it mulls alliance with Parti Qubcois

As Qubec Solidairegathers for their annual convention in Montreal, party members will be confronted with a pivotal decision shouldthe pro-sovereignist, left-wing party forge a pact with theParti Qubcois?

Several proposalswill be put up for a vote either today or Monday,including whether to enter negotiations with the PQ, which could result in an agreement not to run competing candidates in certain ridings, or in a harmonization of their party programs.

The 500 participants will also vote on whether to reject any partnership outright, or try to form a grand coalition with all opposition parties in the hope of reforming the electoral system.

In the view of some members, these decisions coulddeterminehowQuebec voters see theparty, and whetherthey can be trusted to fight for progressiveideas.

"What we will decide there will be very much important for everyone in Quebec, not only for us," saidAndrFrappier, a member of the party and formerQubecSolidairecandidate forthe Montreal riding ofCrmazie,in an interview withCBC'sQuebec AM.

"Are we going to fight for a perspective, an inspiring project that will include everybody in Quebec or make a deal to try to get more ridings?"

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The party has only two seats in the National Assembly, with its most prominent member,FranoiseDavid, having quit politics earlier this year.

QubecSolidairewill also be leaving the conventionwith a new voice.GabrielNadeau-DuboisandManonMass, the MNA forSainte-MarieSaint-Jacques, were elected as co-spokespeople by the party's members.

Nadeau-Dubois, a former student leader, is running to replace DavidinGouin.

Pact may be a tough sell for some members

The more-established PartiQubcois is pressing for some sort of alliance between the parties. Since 2008, QubecSolidairehas progressively beennibbling seatsaway from thePQ.

PQleader Jean-FranoisLiseargues that some sort of understanding couldtoppleQuebec's current Liberal government.

As a gesture of goodwill, the PQchose not to run a candidate in the May 29 byelection in Gouin, David's old riding, even though QubecSolidaire has asked for and offered nothing in return.

Some QubecSolidaire membersare leery of any potential pact with the PQ.

"We are not facing the most exciting deal of the century," said PierreDostie, who ran for QS in a byelection in the riding ofChicoutimi.

He would rather be discussing Quebec independencea goal that both the PQ and QubecSolidaire aspire to.

"To beat the Liberals and to replace it with something that looks like the Liberals is not especially exciting,"he said.

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For Frappiertheproposed Quebec secularcharter of values,an attempt to ban public servants from wearing religious symbols introduced under aPartiQubcoisgovernment, has made him wary of aQS-PQalliance

"When they put forward some kind of exclusion, and some say racist policies to get elected, there's a red line there and I am not going to work with that kind of political party," Frappier said.

Another possible alliance

Also on the table this weekend's conventionisa possible alliance with the more-marginal OptionNationaleparty, which has never won a seat in provincial politics.

Qubec Solidairefinished fourth in the 2014 provincial election, witheight per cent of the popular vote.

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