Accused by Éric Duhaime of lying about the construction of the Quebec-Lévis tunnel, Saturday, the chief caquiste François Legault responded by inviting his conservative opponent to clean up his ranks because of the controversies raised by some of his candidates.
Pumped up after a militant rally held the day before in Quebec City, Mr. Duhaime began his day by firing red balls at Mr. Legault.
The Conservative leader said that the lack of studies on the current version of the Quebec-Lévis tunnel project shows that Mr. Legault no longer really intends to keep his promise to build a third link for the region.
“Mr. Legault acts like an amateur,” he said. And not only that, he lies to the population. »
Mr. Duhaime laughed at the successive presentations that the government of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) has made of a first six-lane tunnel, then reduced to four lanes in the spring.
“Someone had fun with LEGO toys to get this out, to impress the gallery, to justify that for four years, he reneged on his commitment and that he lied to people in the Quebec region”, a- he said.
The Conservative leader allowed himself to hijack the CAQ’s electoral slogan, “Let’s continue”, to illustrate his point.
“I understand that the campaign slogan is ‘Let’s continue’, but I imagine that what they have in the back of their minds is let’s continue to lie,” he said.
To do the housework
Asked about the subject, Mr. Legault chose to attack the controversies raised by certain Conservative candidates rather than respond to Mr. Duhaime’s accusations.
“Mr. Duhaime, let him start cleaning up his gang,” he said during a press conference in Rimouski.
More specifically, the CAQ leader referred directly to the Conservative candidate Yves Beaulieu, whose remarks made the headlines.
“Mr. Duhaime could start by packing his candidate in Pointe-aux Trembles,” he suggested.
A video showing Mr. Beaulieu copiously insulting Mr. Legault with obscene remarks, during the pandemic, was broadcast on Friday by the TVA network.
Mr. Duhaime also had to react to the comments of another candidate, Nicolas Lussier-Clément, who questions the theory of evolution.
“I have often said that I believe in the theory of evolution,” assured the Conservative leader without condemning the remarks of his candidate in the riding of Laval-des-Rapides.
Mr. Duhaime accused Mr. Legault’s entourage of being behind the revelations that are emerging in the Conservatives’ campaign.
“It’s obvious, when there are four people in Mr. Legault’s cabinet, in the CAQ campaign team, who rummage through the garbage cans of the full-time Conservative party, he brings out all kinds of junk,” said he said.
According to Mr. Duhaime, this attention shows that the CAQ fears the rise of the conservatives.
An upcoming study
For a second day in a row, Mr. Legault had to explain why no study was made public on the 6.5 billion project.
“We are currently drilling to establish how the tunnel from downtown to downtown will be done. The study you are talking about is not a city center to city center study, ”he replied to journalists during a press briefing in Rimouski.
On Friday, Mr. Legault acknowledged that there is no study on the second version of his tunnel project, which has four lanes rather than six initially. He then said that a study would be available within the next year.
The CAQ chief was more specific on Saturday when the analysis will be completed.
“When it’s going to be finished in early 2023, we’re going to publish it,” he said.
Asked about his refusal to publish the other analyzes carried out so far, Mr. Legault repeated that none related specifically to his proposal for a four-lane tunnel linking downtown Quebec and Lévis.
“I’m not afraid of anything,” he replied after being asked if he was afraid of the impact of any publication.
Federalist Legault
In addition to being attacked by Mr. Duhaime, Mr. Legault also came under fire from PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who invited the separatists to turn their backs on the “Coalition against independence”.
Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon returned to the remarks of the CAQ leader, during the televised debate this week, when he maintained that the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) had “lost the monopoly of being against sovereignty”.
“He broke his braces for being the party that stole the title of extinguisher from the PLQ, the title of the party that works the hardest against independence, he said at a press briefing in Montreal. . The CAQ has stolen, according to him, the monopoly of the PLQ to be against independence. »
Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon addressed all the separatists who voted for the CAQ in order to get rid of the Liberals in 2018.
“I confirm that it’s done, the Liberals are not about to return,” he said.
Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon affirmed that the PQ is the only true “house” of the separatists. According to him, Mr. Legault is more federalist than Jean Charest and Philippe Couillard.
“To all Quebec separatists who voted CAQ in 2018, except who can, the CAQ wants to stifle your voice,” he said.