The leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) believes that we should not rule out the possibility of erecting a wall on the border between Quebec and the United States to counter the influx of asylum seekers. And despite this position, he maintains that the comparisons between him and Donald Trump are unjustified.
“We must turn off the tap, stop illegal immigration to Quebec,” repeated the Conservative leader during a brief scrum in a rural area of Bellechasse. “My first objective is that the five parties, we all work together […] and that we put pressure on Ottawa to stop it and all options must be considered”.
Tuesday morning, Éric Duhaime was asked about a post made on social networks in 2017 to the effect that a wall on the Canada-US border would be a good idea. A solution that he does not exclude five years later. “I see that as one of the options,” he said.
The politician, however, continues to reject comparisons made by François Legault between him and former US President Donald Trump. “I tell you that I am not Donald Trump, I said it, I repeated it. »
Enthusiasm for Duhaime in Bellechasse
As the Tory leader answered questions from reporters on the side of a country road, many cars blared their horns at the sight of his coach.
Earlier in the day, a visit to Prévost Car provided an idea of the popularity of conservative ideas in the Bellechasse region. “We all voted Duhaime,” one employee told the boss, speaking of her group of friends when she arrived at the factory.
Shortly before, some of his colleagues had loudly honked at the politician to show their support. “Eric, Eric, Eric! “, had also chanted a team of employees at the end of the visit of the installations.
Located between the river and the border with Maine and neighboring Beauce, Bellechasse is currently represented by caquiste Stéphanie Lachance. According to the poll aggregator Qc125, the CAQ would still be in the lead (48%) but the PCQ would have made major progress in the riding in just a few months with 31% of the voting intentions.
The PCQ candidate in Bellechasse is Michel Tardif, a former municipal councilor from Saint-Henri, a municipality of 5,000 inhabitants. The file that is closest to his heart is that of the third link, which is very popular locally.
But not just any third link. The people of Bellechasse much prefer the bridge proposed by Duhaime to the tunnel of François Legault because it would be erected much closer to their home, to the east.
“It changes everything,” confided Nadia, 42, met at the party rally in the evening. “You can’t imagine how much easier this will make our lives. Celebrant in funeral ceremonies, the conservative activist mentioned that she had “been hit hard during the pandemic”. “I lost my job. I came down with nothing. »
Tuesday evening, the rally took place in a microbrewery in St-Anselme in a rural area. The atmosphere was so charged that Éric Duhaime himself seemed surprised.