Quebec politicians are divided on whether or not to continue their campaigns on Thursday, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. “Out of respect” for her, the leader of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), François Legault, has already announced that he will take a break for the rest of the day while all the other parties will continue theirs, the Parti Québécois s opposing even the lowering of the flag.
Posted at 2:35 p.m.
Updated at 4:07 p.m.
“What she has done for 70 years is still exceptional in times that were sometimes hard and I think we owe her, as a matter of respect at least, to mark the rest of the day,” said the leader of the Coalition avenir Québec in Tadoussac, on the North Shore.
François Legault had planned an announcement there this afternoon which was therefore cancelled. Nor will he go to an activist rally in a microbrewery in the municipality of Côte-de-Beaupré. His tour will resume tomorrow, however, he said.
“She was a woman who had a sense of public duty, she supported her people in times that were tough. Queen Elizabeth II marked the spirits by her strength, by her calm too. She was at the forefront of the major events of the 20e century,” he said earlier, specifying that the Quebec flag would be flown at half-mast on all public buildings.
Shortly after, the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, threw a stone into the pond by opposing the half-masting of the flag just announced by François Legault.
“Although I also offer my condolences to the family, I am opposed to the Quebec nation lowering its flag at half mast. François Legault should not treat the Queen of England as head of the Quebec state or give credibility to an illegitimate British colonial regime in Quebec, ”he said, in a tweet.
“A minimal knowledge of our history and a basic respect for our motto “I remember” should lead us to refrain from lowering our Quebec flag at half mast, while being very respectful for the family and the English people who are grieving. “, he continued.
Anglade offers his condolences
For her part, the liberal leader Dominique Anglade offered “all (her) sympathies and all (her) condolences” to the Queen’s family and to the British people during a brief scrum on Thursday afternoon, during his time in his riding of Saint-Henri-Sainte-Annne.
“With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, a whole page of history has been turned. Elizabeth II dedicated her life to public service. She will have gone through several pivotal moments in our entire era. She will always have done it with great dignity, ”she said. Mme Anglade added that the queen will have been “a remarkable figure”, “a woman who preceded her time”.
Asked whether Quebec should mark her death in a particular way, she was content to answer that “we must highlight her contribution, the fact that it is a life dedicated to public service”.
Dominique Anglade is not pausing his campaign. She had already planned to end the day early because of her daughter Clara’s birthday. “We finish today at 3:30 p.m. and we will resume (the campaign) tomorrow,” Friday, she said. After the two-minute press scrum, she took a walk in the Atwater Market.
QS won’t take a break
The parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, also reacted in the afternoon.
“It’s a page of history that is turning. I will offer my condolences to the British royal family, to the people of England. It is an important moment of the XX and XXIe century. I want the mourning of the bereaved to be as peaceful as possible,” he said.
“We have decided that our campaign will continue. This is a moment that is historically important, and with all due respect, the daily life of Quebeckers can nevertheless continue and that our political debates in Quebec can continue,” however nuanced Mr. Nadeau-Dubois, judging that the influence of the Queen of England “is above all symbolic”.
“I think that in Quebec, we should have, as soon as possible, a different, more democratic political system where there is no monarchy”, also mentioned the solidarity.
Unwelcome to debate, says Duhaime
The Conservative leader, Éric Duhaime, is also continuing his campaign today. He must hold a meeting with the Union of Agricultural Producers (UPA) in the afternoon, but no partisan rally in the evening. “It’s a very sad day for everyone, however offered Mr. Duhaime. It is also historic, he is the head of state who has been on the throne the longest. She was a calm, moderate woman. »
Remember that the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) has no official position on the monarchy. Éric Duhaime believes that to hold this debate now would be inappropriate. “When someone has just died, I don’t think it’s the time to start thinking about changing structures. I have never been a great monarchist. That being said, I still have respect for the institutions,” he said.
With Hugo Pilon-Larose, Tommy Chouinard, Charles Lecavalier, Fanny Lévesque and Mylène Crête, The Press