(Quebec) A few days before the publication by the Parti Québécois (PQ) of an update of the finances of a sovereign Quebec, PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon traces the contours of what would characterize the country of Quebec, while he promises to campaign in 2026 in order to carry out a third referendum on the independence of the province.
In a press scrum on Wednesday, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon answered all the questions aimed at defining the independence project. The day before, during the swearing in of Jean-Talon’s new deputy, Pascal Paradis, the two men had made the subject of sovereignty the basis of their speech and their political commitment.
Concretely, a Quebec country as proposed by the PQ would adopt a Quebec currency and abandon the Canadian dollar. According to Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon, “what weakens Quebec […] on the economic level, it is that our policies are not based on the economic reality of Quebec, but on the reality of each of the Canadian provinces.” In the past, other PQ leaders preferred to maintain the use of Canadian currency within the framework of an independent Quebec.
The country of Quebec proposed by Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon would also have an army, he replied in a press scrum, because he would like to participate in as many international bodies as possible, notably NATO. As such, the PQ leader invited his interlocutors to consult his year one budget for a sovereign Quebec, which will be published Monday, concerning details such as investments in national defense.
A project like Lévesque, or almost
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon bluntly asserts that his independence project, which will also be discussed during a congress of PQ members in order to develop a “blue book” on sovereignty, makes a return to the concept of “sovereignty- association” from the time of former Prime Minister René Lévesque. Border issues should be negotiated with Ottawa.
“In terms of transition, we are going to take up the concept of sovereignty-association a lot. […] Our collaborations with Canada will be numerous, will perhaps even be more effective than at the moment in certain respects,” he said.
“The separatists in Quebec, unlike […] all kinds of other movements, find Canada very nice, except when there are waves from Quebec bashing », added Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon.
On the other hand, the PQ leader adds that he does not fear the economic impacts following the exclusion of Quebec from trade treaties, such as the North American free trade zone between the United States, Canada and Mexico. According to him, the geopolitical situation has changed since the 80s and 90s due to globalization.
“At the time of Lévesque, we were very worried about Quebec’s ability to remain in commercial contact with neighboring nations because globalization had not taken place. When we look at the examples of political changes that lead to the creation of States or the withdrawal of certain agreements, what we see is that international frameworks are not called to change because a State is added. to the list,” he said.
Federalism pays off, says Quebec
To the Legault government, Finance Minister Eric Girard replied on Wednesday that the province of Quebec gained more in the federal framework than the situation in which it would find itself if a referendum on sovereignty was held and won.
“I confirm to you that the federal government spends more in Quebec than it receives in revenue. […] From a public finance point of view, certainly, the federation is to Quebec’s advantage,” he said.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Eric Girard
“Quebecers have expressed themselves democratically twice and I think that when there are polls at various times by serious firms, we show that this risk [de l’indépendance] is not of age. […] Often, when we talk about Quebec abroad, for foreigners, Quebec is Canada. And the reputation of Quebec and Canada is enviable,” added Minister Girard.
In a brief statement as he headed into question period, François Legault said he looked forward to seeing how the PQ would do “with the 13 billion equalization bill” in its year one budget. The last to have done the exercise, while he was a PQ party, was Mr. Legault himself. The Prime Minister has since affirmed that Quebec’s budgetary situation had changed.
On the opposition side, the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) refused to say Wednesday whether the independence of the province would be economically viable. Liberal prime ministers have in the past affirmed that this was the case, although it was to Quebec’s advantage to remain in the federation.
“Seriously, people want us to talk about inflation, the housing crisis, the impact on public services, the state of our infrastructure. The debate on currency and the budget, I would leave it to the Parti Québécois. In the Liberal Party, we care about real matters,” replied MP Monsef Derraji.
On the side of Québec solidaire (QS), Vincent Marissal responded that a country normally has its own currency and its army. On this point, the Quebec army would not be an “invading” army in the party’s independence project.