The Union des forces progressistes is a political party from Quebec which has taken a clear left-wing stance. It is originally a party formed from the alliance of three earlier left-wing parties: The Rassemblement pour l'alternative progressiste (RAP), the Parti de la démocratie socialiste (PDS) and the Parti communiste du Québec (PCQ), in order to unite the forces of the left.
It poses itself as an alternative to the main three parties in Quebec, the Parti Québécois, the Parti libéral du Québec and the Action démocratique du Québec, saying that all three are but different faces of the same right-wing turn of society, called neoliberalism. It also opposes globalization, privatization and deregulation, it calls for increased funding of social services, increased taxations on the richest and on enterprises, reform of the parliamentary system to switch to a proportional one and for encouraging an alternative economy (co-operatives and non-profit organizations).
It has no leader, instead possessing a structure with a council on the top. It has promised to be a party of the ballot box and of the streets, meaning that even between elections, it is supposed to work to increase awareness of social problems and to demand, along with social movements, changes in favor of workers and the unemployed.
After rather modest results in the 2003 elections (1.06% of the votes, 1.50% if you count the 0.44% the Parti vert du Québec, with which it had an alliance, had), the UFP is still a marginal party. Only time will tell if it will be able to make a breakthrough in Quebec's politics, long dominated by the national question.
UFP Representatives
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