Suspected by the Liberals of quietly preparing for independence, the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) pulled a rabbit out of its hat on Wednesday, recalling the sovereignist past of MP Marc Tanguay, who has been leading the charge against them for a few days at this topic.
In the House, the CAQ parliamentary leader, Simon Jolin-Barrette, also recalled that the Liberal MP Christine St-Pierre voted Yes in the two referendums on Quebec sovereignty, in 1980 and 1995.
Mr. Jolin-Barrette replied to the Liberal parliamentary leader, André Fortin, who urged the Legault government to put aside “separatist governance”, pointing to his colleague Mr. Tanguay, representing the riding of LaFontaine.
“I invite the Leader of the Official Opposition to turn to his left and look at our esteemed colleague from LaFontaine who, in 1995, was in the Yes camp and supported this option, and was a fervent separatist , he said. So everyone can evolve. »
The arrival at the CAQ of former PQ minister Bernard Drainville provided the Liberals with new ammunition. During a press briefing on Wednesday, Mr. Tanguay commented on Mr. Drainville’s candidacy, made official on Tuesday. He suspected him of being an agent of sovereignty at the CAQ.
“He is too clever to do like Pierre Karl Péladeau, then raise his fist and then say: ‘We’re going to a referendum,’ he said. It’s all hidden away. So the new 2.0 strategy with the CAQ-PQ 2.0 is to try to lead the population towards a referendum without talking about it, because a referendum is scary. »
Video released from the archives
In the House, Mr. Tanguay then accused Prime Minister François Legault of being in the process of “gathering the “dream team“of separation”.
“Why quarrel with Ottawa? Why does he prioritize his approach to the separation of Quebec on the backs of Quebecers? he asked.
A video showing Mr. Tanguay in a Bloc Québécois advertisement resurfaced on Wednesday. Mr. Tanguay, then a Bloc activist, spoke during the 1995 referendum campaign.
“Me, personally, I don’t trust the old parties at all,” he said.
More details will follow