The parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire (QS), Alexandre Leduc, had to apologize on Wednesday after insulting a CAQ opponent at the Salon bleu, as pressure mounts in the National Assembly a few days before the winter adjournment of work parliamentarians.
Mr. Leduc put the lid on this episode by quickly expressing his regrets on social networks following his outbursts.
“When leaving the Blue Room today I made unacceptable comments towards Simon Jolin-Barrette,” he declared on X. My words went beyond my thoughts and I sincerely apologize for them. »
A few moments earlier, Mr. Jolin-Barrette had appeared before journalists to report the collision.
“Mr. Leduc, when he left his seat as a deputy, said to me: “Fuck you Simon, fuck you Simon,” he said. Between parliamentarians, we owe each other respect. We are among work colleagues, in a work environment. Sometimes we disagree on ideas, but we respect each other among parliamentarians. »
Mr. Jolin-Barrette demanded an apology from his counterpart from Québec solidaire.
“I find this attitude unacceptable, which is not respectful, which is also marked by a way of doing things where if we do not agree with the people of Québec solidaire, we insult them,” said he lamented.
In the minutes that followed, Mr. Leduc complied by assuring Mr. Jolin-Barrette of his consideration. He admitted that he should not have reacted so emotionally, at the end of an exchange they had after question period.
“He is a colleague that I appreciate and I will manage my emotions better in the future. My apologies also to the president,” he said.
The PQ says “no” to extending the session
This episode crowned a morning marked by the intensification of exchanges between the parliamentary wings with the imminent end of parliamentary work, scheduled for Friday.
Due to lack of time to complete the study of the 1,180 articles of Bill 15 on the Santé Québec agency, the government has proposed extending its parliamentary session next week for four more days. A request which was ultimately rejected by the Parti Québécois.
“Opposition colleagues asked us to extend the session regarding Bill 15 and we are open to doing so,” government leader Simon Jolin-Barrette said on Wednesday.
The proposal was submitted to him by the liberal opposition. However, the leader must now obtain the support of other parties in Parliament and independent deputies to implement it.
The Parti Québécois refused to give it. “We cannot adopt such an important reform within three days,” declared its health spokesperson, MP Joël Arseneau.
Québec solidaire, for its part, has not yet indicated whether or not it intends to support the proposal. Same thing for independent deputies Marie-Claude Nichols and Frédéric Beauchemin, whose refusal would have been enough to block the postponement.
The parliamentary session was normally scheduled to end this Friday. The new schedule would have added Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to study the bill for adoption on Thursday next week. Mr. Jolin-Barrette warned, however, that the work cannot be extended beyond this date.
Unclear what happens next
The rejection of the proposal to extend the session by the PQ brings to the forefront the prospect of a gag order on Bill 15.
A scenario on which the government did not want to comment on Wednesday.
The vagueness also persists around bills 31 (housing) and 39 (municipal taxation), the adoption of which is not certain either.
The parliamentary committee responsible for studying them did not complete its work Tuesday evening as the schedule required. And again, the opposition parties must agree to add working sessions to allow their adoption before the end of the session on Friday.