Congress of the Quebec section of the PLC | Canadians should be worried about the rise of conservatives, says Rodriguez

(Trois-Rivières) All Canadians should be concerned about the rise of conservatives in the country, according to the Minister of Transport and Quebec lieutenant, Pablo Rodriguez.

This is what he declared on the sidelines of the Congress of the Quebec section of the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC), which is taking place this weekend in Trois-Rivières.

“We are facing the most right-wing party in Canadian history. There has never been a conservative party so right-wing, he said in the press scrum. To move backwards on fundamental rights, on the fight against climate change, on firearms – because the Conservatives said that the assault weapons that we banned, they would make them legal again – it is certain that It’s worrying to have this perspective. And it’s up to us to do our job to make sure that doesn’t happen. »

According to the most recent survey by the Léger firm, carried out at the end of October, across Canada 40% of voters indicated that they would vote for the Conservatives if an election were called today, 26% for the Liberals, 17% for the New Democratic Party and 7% for the Bloc Québécois.

In Quebec, the Bloc Québécois obtains 30% of support, ahead of the Liberals at 27%, the Conservatives at 22% and the NDP at 13%.

The leader of the PLC Justin Trudeau took advantage of his speech Saturday evening at the convention to criticize his rival, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

He addressed a crowd of feverish activists – for the most part it was a first liberal congress. They welcomed Mr. Trudeau with thunderous applause and chanted “Justin, Justin, Justin” energetically.

” It is tough these days, Mr. Trudeau said. We are coming out of a pandemic, [il y a] wars in the world, there is inflation too, all of this is linked. »

He mentioned the wildfires that raged across the country this summer and the dire lack of affordable housing. “There is no shortage of challenges these days,” he admitted.

Mr. Trudeau denounced the Conservatives for what he considers to be a decline in fundamental rights, particularly towards the LGTBQ community and women. He said the Conservative Party was still recruiting anti-abortion MPs.

Mr. Trudeau also addressed the fragility of the media in his speech. “Are we going to choose the aplaventrism of the Conservatives against the Web giants in addition to putting the key in the door of CBC/Radio-Canada,” he raised.

Remember that the Liberal government adopted a new law this summer that requires technology companies such as Meta and Google to negotiate agreements compensating media outlets for the news content they share on their platforms. Meta responded by removing Canadian news content.

Justin Trudeau also praised Quebec’s record in terms of energy for its hydroelectricity. “It is a source of great pride for Quebecers to have been ahead of everyone on clean energy,” he declared, making a small point at the Bloc Québécois in passing.

“We don’t need the Bloc to highlight the strengths of Quebecers, the proof is that it is by taking inspiration from Quebecers that our government was able to offer daycare at $10 per day throughout the country. Canada.”

No elections in sight in 2024

Several ministers surveyed by The Canadian Press said that Justin Trudeau was still the right man to lead the Liberal Party of Canada.

There does not appear to be any question of a rushed election in 2024, but the Liberals have said they are ready if necessary.

“Our role is to assure and inspire and demonstrate to people that we are the best team to navigate through more troubled waters,” declared the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology. Industry, François-Philippe Champagne.

“As a minority government we must always be ready, but I don’t see that on the horizon,” he added.

Mr. Rodriguez agreed. “There is no reason to have an election because there is great stability in Ottawa currently. The agreement with the NDP is in place. I don’t think there is any appetite on the part of Canadians to go to an election […], but if there is an election, we will be ready. »

Mr. Champagne, who co-chairs the Congress of the Liberal Party of Canada this weekend, stressed that it was no coincidence that it took place in Trois-Rivières. He argued that being in the region “sends a strong message”.

“Quebec’s industrial renewal begins first in the regions,” he declared.

He praised the development of the regions in various sectors, citing the Northvolt contract in Montérégie and the GM and Ford companies in Mauricie–Centre-du-Québec. He also highlighted that Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean will be the largest region to produce aluminum in the world if we exclude China. “We have just brought Quebec into the 21st century economy^e century,” argued Mr. Champagne.

Soon an announcement on dental insurance

Around 400 people gathered on Saturday for the PLC congress. Three panels were scheduled during the day. One on economic development in the regions of Quebec, the second on the cost of living and housing, then a round table on Canada’s leadership in the world and the Francophonie.

During the conference on the cost of living and housing, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Jean-Yves Duclos suggested that there would be an announcement concerning dental insurance “in the coming weeks” in the country.

This is one of the major points of the agreement with the NDP which allows the minority Liberals to govern. This fall, New Democratic leader Jagmeet Singh warned that if such a program is not presented next year, the party will withdraw from the agreement.

“In a few weeks, we will announce the start of the most significant assistance program for middle-class families. It will help nine million families,” declared Minister Duclos. Without being specific about this program, he declared in the same breath that nine million families do not go to the dentist because they do not have private insurance.