The campaign bus of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) is fueled by the “discontent” aroused by health measures, laments the leader of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), François Legault.
“There are certain leaders who fueled a certain discontent, who said: “We want to bring discontent into the National Assembly.” “, he argued on the sidelines of an announcement in front of a residence for seniors, in Saint-Georges, Tuesday morning.
François Legault underlined to the residents of the Manoir du quartier the difficulty he had in particular in ordering the end of visits to living environments for the elderly after the first strikes of COVID-19 during the winter of 2020. It’s not easy to make these kinds of decisions. I didn’t do it for fun. I did it to save lives, ”he repeated throughout his stay in Beauce.
Called to comment on the significant support given, two and a half years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, by the Beaucerons to the PCQ — which ranks second in voting intentions, behind the CAQ, both in Beauce -North and Beauce-Sud — François Legault said he was convinced that voters will know how to make sense of things. “I trust Quebecers. I think that the vast majority of Quebecers, from all regions of Quebec, understand that it is important to have these measures to save lives, ”he said.
According to him, political leaders must fiercely defend freedom without losing a sense of responsibility. “Everyone has to be responsible. What we went through, it was not easy, then we got away with it, ”he said, pointing to the statistics on excess mortality in Quebec and elsewhere since March 13, 2020.
“One death, one death, is one too many. But when I look at the excess mortality rates, well, we did better in Quebec. Why? Thanks to Quebecers. We were one of the places in the world that followed the instructions the most, one of the places in the world during the first vaccination that was vaccinated the most. So our population has been extremely united. Then, I am proud of them, ”he added, surrounded by candidates Samuel Poulin (Beauce-Sud), Luc Provençal (Beauce-Nord), and Stéphanie Lachance (Bellechasse).
In addition, the particularly tense political climate has forced the Sûreté du Québec to strengthen security measures aimed at protecting political party leaders, including François Legault, who is a prime target for opponents of the measures taken during the state of health emergency: wearing a mask, curfew, ban on gatherings, restriction of access of unvaccinated people to public places, etc.
François Legault, however, assured the press that he could lead the campaign he aspired to despite security constraints.
Further details will follow.