Dominique Anglade opined, during an editorial table of cultural communities, to the question of a journalist who said that François Legault “seems not to like immigrants”. The Liberal leader later clarified that “this is the message he is sending”.
Posted at 7:08 p.m.
“François Legault, he seems not to like immigrants,” said a journalist from a Chinese media, speaking in English to Dominique Anglade, who participated in an editorial table of cultural communities, Monday. What the Liberal leader spontaneously launched: “Do you think? “, with a touch of irony before laughing. “How are you going to tackle this issue? “, continued the journalist.
“François Legault plays on the division”, then explained Mme England. “Every time he talks about immigration, it’s either to say it’s a threat or a problem, or it’s associated with violence […] It sends the wrong message,” she added to the journalists invited to the exercise.
Called to explain this spontaneous reaction, Dominique Anglade replied: “It is clearly the message he is sending, after that, what [François Legault] really think, you will ask him the question, but this is clearly the message he sends in relation to immigration, in relation to difference. It’s in all the words he says, ”she said in a press scrum.
Dominique Anglade accuses the leader of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) of dividing Quebecers on the issue of immigration. François Legault made an amalgam between violence and immigration last week. The chief caquiste has since apologized. He later asserted, in another event, that non-Francophone immigration is a threat to “national cohesion” if not limited.
“What I wanted to say is that in all the remarks that [François Legault] he doesn’t seem to value immigration in a positive way. The comments he makes make people feel completely uninvolved in the adventure. It puts Quebecers of different origins in opposition, ”she nuanced. Mme Anglade deplores that his opponent wants to “feed the difference of the other”.
According to her, the question submitted by the journalist is a sign that the recent remarks of François Legault “hurt people”. Immigration was also one of the most discussed themes during the editorial table of cultural communities, which lasted 45 minutes. “The message it sends is certainly not positive,” said Dominique Anglade.
Reason for leaving the CAQ
Dominique Anglade recalled that she had left the presidency of the CAQ in September 2013 because of the identity question. “I left for these reasons, because I always felt that this issue was exploited [de l’immigration] to pit Quebeckers against each other. This is the reason why I left the CAQ and I think that [François Legault] never accepted it,” she said.
She says that when she was at the CAQ, François Legault wanted to “absolutely reduce the thresholds” for immigration because it would be “popular” and because it would “please part of the population”. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the talk of ‘kids who shouldn’t wear religious symbols while playing soccer,’ she said, alluding to the episode about the ban wearing a turban by the Quebec Soccer Federation in June 2013.
The Liberal leader also opens up about the reasons for her departure from the CAQ in her book This Quebec that lives in me, published in March 2021.
François Legault’s chief of staff, Martin Koskinen, does not seem to have the same reading of events. On Twitter, Mr. Legault’s main adviser denounced the Liberal leader’s exit on Monday: “We can have disagreements in politics, but I will never accept this trial of intent. All blows are not allowed in politics. Dominique Anglade never slammed the door when leaving the CAQ. She is rewriting history,” he wrote.
In 2013, Dominique Anglade agreed to take charge of Montreal International. The news was presented at the time by Mr. Legault as “a great opportunity” for its president.