Quebec Premier François Legault has announced nothing less than an “engagement” with Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre by calling for federal elections, according to Minister Jean-Yves-Duclos, who was recently named Justin Trudeau’s political lieutenant for Quebec.
“Mr. Legault, what he announced today is an engagement with Pierre Poilievre, like a future bride. But does he really know the future bride Pierre Poilievre?” he said during an interview with The Canadian Press.
The minister has trouble understanding why Mr. Legault “all of a sudden” believes it is preferable to have “a Pierre Poilievre of ‘cuts, cuts, cuts’” for Quebecers. Did he even “take the time to think about it”? he wondered out loud.
Mr. Duclos had just been stung when asked whether Mr. Legault had dealt a severe blow to the Trudeau government when he asked the Bloc Québécois to overthrow it, during the vote on the motion of censure that is to be tabled Tuesday in the hope of provoking federal elections.
Reshuffle
Jean-Yves Duclos, who has been Minister of Public Services and Procurement and the Quebec MNA since 2015, was appointed lieutenant for Quebec on Thursday afternoon after Pablo Rodriguez left the cabinet to run for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party.
As part of this reshuffle, her colleague Anita Anand, who is President of the Treasury Board, added to her duties that of Minister of Transport.
Asked whether her name has been widely circulated as a minister interested in succeeding Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, Anand denied it. “That’s not the truth. The truth is this: I’m here to work with a team, a team of ministers, a team of caucuses for our country and for our economy,” she said in a press scrum.
Anand said she had a good conversation with the prime minister, during which she told him she “really enjoys working hard” and was happy to “continue to do that on the two files” she is now responsible for.
“Make a Poilievre of himself”
For his part, Mr. Duclos seemed to lead a full-scale attack against François Legault, sending a series of barbs to accuse the Premier of Quebec and leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec of “making a Pierre Poilievre of himself.”
“Mr. Legault must explain to Quebecers why tearing up the agreement that is leading to the construction of 8,000 social housing units is a good idea,” as Pierre Poilievre says.
Prime Minister Legault “must” also say “if he is a climate skeptic, if he says that climate change does not exist, like Pierre Poilievre,” he continued.
And he didn’t stop there. “Mr. Legault must explain why, like Pierre Poilievre, he would think that defending women’s rights is not important.”
Common ground to be found in the House
Jean-Yves Duclos remained evasive when asked about what he is willing to offer in exchange for the Bloc Québécois’ support in confidence votes, limiting himself to stating that he will find common ground with “the” opposition parties. In other words, it could be with the Bloc or the New Democratic Party.
The party led by Yves-François Blanchet signaled last week that increasing pensions for seniors aged 65 to 74 to the same level as those paid to those aged 75 and over could be a bargaining chip. Similarly, it would be prepared to trade its support for more powers for Quebec in matters of immigration.
What does Mr. Duclos think? “We don’t work for the Bloc. We work for Quebecers,” he replied.
Him or Rodriguez, will it be six of one and half a dozen of the other? “We don’t have exactly the same haircut,” the minister laughs at first.
One notable difference is that he is being elected in a sector where the Liberals have struggled to make gains. “I know the regions outside of Montreal very well,” he notes.
But the two men are similar in many ways, he insists. Both share a “passion for Quebec” and “progressive values.”
Jean-Yves Duclos intends to fight “for the people who need it most, for a better future for all Quebecers who work hard every day to take care of their families, take care of the environment, take care of people’s health, ensure the safety of communities, invest in the economy to grow the middle class.”