The announcement of the return to politics of the former minister and radio host Bernard Drainville was precipitated last week, when his employer Cogeco withdrew him from the airwaves, urging him to decide whether he was going to be a candidate for the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ).
The company’s vice-president of radio stations, Pierre Martineau, told the To have to that he had made this choice when he learned that Mr. Drainville planned to meet with the Prime Minister, François Legault, on this subject.
Mr. Drainville informed him last Monday that he intended to meet with Mr. Legault on June 17 after being contacted by the Prime Minister’s organization the previous weekend.
“I told him: give me 24 hours, but one thing is certain you can’t wait until June 17,” Martineau said in an interview about the events of last week.
After reflection, he announced Tuesday to Mr. Drainville that he could not stay behind the microphone. Mr. Martineau preferred not to run the risk of creating false perceptions, even if his host had not yet decided to return to business.
“We don’t put someone on the air who we know is going into politics. Even if there is a doubt, there is a risk for the antenna. You protect your antenna,” he said.
Mr. Drainville finally announced his resignation to his employer on Thursday, the day after a meeting with Mr. Legault, which had been moved up.
In the CAQ pharmacies, it was possible to understand that Mr. Drainville’s initial game plan was shared.
“We were planning that later, we were told. We wanted to stretch as far as possible while understanding that there was a deadline for his employer if he accepted. »
The PKP of the CAQ
After being announced on the airwaves of 98.5 by host Paul Arcand on Friday morning, the news of the return to politics of the former PQ minister came at the end of a week when Mr. Legault was on the defensive because of comments on the need to obtain full powers in immigration from Ottawa, otherwise Quebec could become the next Louisiana.
Liberal MP Marc Tanguay immediately welcomed Mr. Drainville’s return, calling him Pierre Karl Péladeau of the CAQ. He referred directly to the turning point of the 2014 campaign, when the arrival of the businessman weighed down the Parti Québécois’ re-election efforts by resurrecting the idea of a referendum on sovereignty.
On Monday, the Liberals began this last week of parliamentary work by firing new volleys on the sovereignist past of Mr. Drainville, whose candidacy in the riding of Lévis must be formalized on Tuesday.
Images posted on social networks, in particular by Mr. Tanguay, show Bernard Drainville in 2015, when he was a candidate for the leadership of the PQ. I
“You have to start with independence. I think Quebecers are faced with a choice and that choice is province or country,” Mr. Drainville can be heard saying.
For a second time in less than a week, Mr. Legault had to repeat on Monday that his party’s project is within Canada.
“There are people who want to bring back the old federalist-sovereignist debates again, he said during a press briefing at the National Assembly. We are a nationalist party that defends the French language, Quebec values within Canada. »
Last Thursday, Mr. Legault had also had to state this position after an exit from the former PQ Premier Lucien Bouchard suggesting that the PQ was perhaps no longer the “vehicle” of sovereignty.
At the end of the week, the Prime Minister participated in the announcement of Caroline St-Hilaire’s candidacy in Sherbrooke. Ms. St-Hilaire was a member of the Bloc Québécois, a sovereignist party.
End of session
This swell caused by the return of Mr. Drainville, which is added to that of Ms. St-Hilaire, occurs a few days before the adjournment of parliamentary work on Friday. During this period, political parties usually try to end on a positive note, or at the very least give the impression that they are in control of their message.
These elements are even more important as an election campaign brews at the end of the summer.
In the CAQ pharmacies, the tone is reassuring despite the unexpected announcement of Mr. Drainville’s candidacy at this strategic moment.
“The Council of Ministers is overwhelmingly made up of federalists, we were told. The majority of our deputies are clearly federalists. There is no imbalance. »
As for Mr. Drainville, his return should not disturb anything in this order of things, we are assured.
“If he had returned to politics for sovereignty, he would have gone to the PQ. The CAQ is not a sovereignist party and Mr. Drainville is where we are and where the majority of Quebecers are. »
In the Liberal camp, there are no plans to let go of the piece served with the return of Mr. Drainville. The objective is to take advantage of a defect of the Prime Minister: he sometimes ends up giving the answer that he must avoid “when you press the same button several times”.
With Francois Carabin