January 21, 2026
Pratte: Does Legault’s departure mean goodbye to his ‘third way’ too?
The “third way” is an illusion — a comforting fantasy for many Quebecers who would rather avoid making a choice.
“An independent Quebec within a strong Canada” is how Yvon Deschamps, the province’s legendary standup comic, once summed up Quebecers’ preferred political future. This is the so-called “third way” — neither separatist nor federalist — that François Legault offered Quebecers when he founded the Coalition Avenir Québec in 2011.
His party brought together sovereignists and federalists who believed the constitutional debate should be set aside for the foreseeable future so Quebec could focus on its economic challenges.