
10 years on, the Orange Wave in Quebec is barely a trickle. Can this election reverse the tide?
CBC
Alexandre Boulerice admits that his is a lonely position.
Boulerice, in the Montreal riding of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, is one of those rare candidates who routinely and significantly outperforms their party. In 2019, when the NDP got just 11 per cent of the vote in Quebec, Boulerice won more than 42 per cent in his riding.
That personal popularity has helped him to win three elections — possibly a fourth — and survive the collapse of the NDP in Quebec. His riding is single orange dot in a sea of red and blues in the province.
"To be alone is a little bit tough, I have to say," Boulerice said.
10 years ago, Boulerice was just one of 59 NDP candidates who rode an "Orange Wave" of NDP support in Quebec straight to a near sweep of the province and the role of Official Opposition in Ottawa.
But after the 2015 election, that number was down to 16. And following the 2019 campaign, only Boulerice hung on. From a political standpoint, he said, it's been a loss for the party with those insights and diverse perspectives gone. Personally, it was tough to see his friends defeated.
"I'm confident that I won't be the only one next Monday — because I need it," he said.

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