(Quebec) By wanting the Trudeau government to fall, François Legault is becoming Pierre Poilievre’s “super volunteer” and is supporting “a party where a third of the MPs campaign against the right to abortion,” accuses Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. An outburst that caused sparks in the Salon Rouge on Tuesday.
“The Prime Minister is prepared to support a party in which a third of the members of Parliament are against the right to abortion. When did he receive the mandate to put in power a man who voted against the right to abortion four times in his political career? Are you able to answer that question?” the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire said in a tense exchange with the Prime Minister.
The leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, who calls himself pro-choice, has promised not to reopen the abortion debate if he comes to power. According to an anti-abortion lobby, Coalition Campaign Life, 40 Conservative MPs are anti-abortion.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois on Tuesday took issue with François Legault over his statement last Thursday, when the Prime Minister asked the Parti Québécois to put pressure on the Bloc Québécois to help bring down the Liberal government.
However, the Prime Minister retorted that his message was also addressed to Québec solidaire.
” [Le Parti québécois et Québec solidaire] have lain down because they say they are more left-wing. And it is more important for these two parties to be more left-wing than to defend autonomy and the interests of Quebec,” he fumed, stung to the quick by the questions from the solidarity leader.
It is time for there to be two parties, who claim to be nationalists, who finally defend the nation and then say to Justin Trudeau: it is unacceptable to send us 600,000 immigrants. We are no longer capable.
François Legault, Premier of Quebec
François Legault also added that temporary immigration should be “the ballot box issue” in the next federal election. The Prime Minister no longer has confidence in Justin Trudeau to solve immigration problems and stated last Thursday that Quebec “needs an economic government in Ottawa.” The Conservative Party is well ahead in voting intentions.
“For us, defending Quebec means defending the right of Quebec women to choose what happens to their bodies. For us, defending the interests of Quebec means defending Quebec territory against the pipelines that Pierre Poilievre wants to build here,” replied Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.
A controversial gesture
In a heartfelt outburst, the solidarity leader also raised his arm to demonstrate, he said as he left the Red Room, his exasperation. The gesture was rather perceived as “a middle finger” in the government benches, provoking the intervention of the government’s parliamentary leader, Simon Jolin-Barrette.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Simon Jolin-Barrette, government parliamentary leader
“It’s a lack of respect on the part of GND, it’s a real lack of maturity from someone who is party leader, it’s unacceptable,” Legault lamented at the end of question period. The person concerned denied having behaved inappropriately. “I made a gesture of exasperation because the Prime Minister is giving his support to a political party infiltrated by anti-abortion MPs.” […] it’s serious, it’s coming to get me […] and there is no question of me apologizing,” he responded.
In 2021, François Legault gave his support to Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives.