So long, Jean-Claude!

The 25-year member of the PQ quit the party because he was outraged that Pauline (just Pauline, please. Like Madonna and Pink, the woman is enough of a star not to need more than one name on her campaign posters) 'violated his rights' by blocking his candidacy in the riding, which he held for almost a decade.

PQ officials said he was not allowed to run because his riding association owed $50,000 to the party central, but most observers believe the real reason Pauline blocked his candidacy was because St-André, being the militant 'pure et dure' that he is, did not rally to the party line of placing a separatist referendum on the back burner.

So let me get this straight… St-André refuses to toe the party line, but still wants to be part of said party so it will finance his way to the National Assembly again. What's the point of playing the martyr and having the "Jeunes Patriotes" goons come out and defend your right to be wrong? Just quit and run as an independent.

The problem with St-André and other hardliners like him is that they believe that the PQ –first and foremost- will always be a party whose sole identity and raison d'etre will be the realization of an independent Quebec. Even when the writing's on the wall. "I have defended my convictions and I've worked to improve conditions for all Quebecers," he wrote in his resignation letter. Come again, Jean-Claude? Are you talking about winning conditions, because sadly those are the only conditions you've ever focused on!

Pauline is enough of a realist (and an opportunist, with the ADQ falling behind in the polls) to understand that Quebec independence doesn't even make the Top Ten of Quebecers' concerns right now. With the world's finances in a downward spiral, our dollar taking a dive and with talk of an imminent recession, who in their right mind would be focusing on a referendum? It's bad enough that Charest called an election when no one (but him) wanted one!

According to the latest Léger Marketing poll, Quebecers' most pressing issues, in order of importance, are accessibility to and quality of health care, the economy, tax reductions, the environment, sustainable development, education, and reduction of Quebec's debt. Identity and language ranked a dismal 2%, at the bottom of that list! Even lower than the 3% who claimed they didn't know what issues they wanted this campaign to be about or refused to answer.

Times have changed and French Quebecers have long ago taken their rightful place in this society. The challenges are no longer the same. St-André and other hardliners like him no longer have a cause or legitimate grievances to rally behind; no matter how hard they try to invent some.

It’s time for these political dinosaurs, these narrow-minded dividers to step aside and let those with an inclusive agenda (no matter what party they belong to) step forward and get the job done. Maybe then we'd have something (and someone) worthwhile to vote for.