The Prime Minister enjoys several privileges, including the right to send Christmas greetings. François Legault does not hesitate.
He kicked off the “exchange of good wishes” of the heads of parliamentary groups in the hall of the National Assembly on 8 December. The magic of Christmas, however, took time to take hold of him.
From the outset, Mr. Legault recalled to the memory of the elected officials that he was unable to convey his wishes the day after the 2018 general elections, because the MP for Matane-Matapédia, Pascal Bérubé, had opposed his before heading to Montreal for a meeting of federal and provincial premiers. “We found a way to prevent the MP for Matane from preventing me from doing it [de nouveau] “, he launched, smirking, claiming to have postponed for this reason the adoption of the Act to recognize the oath provided for by the Act respecting the National Assembly as the only compulsory oath to sit there, otherwise the three elected officials could not put their noses inside the Blue Room.
The Prime Minister suggested to the new President of the National Assembly, Nathalie Roy, to “turn down the heating” – like the new Super Minister of the Economy and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, who is converted to energy sobriety, recommend it — if tempers flare over the next four years in parliament.
Then, he wished his best wishes to each of the opposition party leaders, namely Marc Tanguay, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, whom he “loves all equal”, he pointed out.
First, Mr. Legault felt admiration for the leader of the official opposition, Marc Tanguay, who took over “off the cuff” from Dominique Anglade at the head of the Quebec Liberal Party, whose leadership had been contested in the wake of the Liberal election defeat of October 3. ” Cheer ! Already, it’s quite an achievement. And we hope… In any case, I sincerely hope that he will be there in January, when we come back. Eh yes. And I also want to say thank you to him because he made my task easier by taking up his predecessor’s questions almost word by word. It almost sounds like karaoke,” he said, slyly recalling Mr. Tanguay’s rare singing talent.
Mr. Legault then turned to the spokesperson for Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. “I wish him a good holiday season, to continue his refocusing, to sing, to dance with the Member of Parliament for Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques [Manon Massé]. But there’s no need to put this on TikTok. Suggestion, like that,” he told an amused audience. The Prime Minister had in mind the dance steps made by QS spokespersons, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and Manon Massé, on the sexist rhythm of the song Hit You With The Blick of rapper KJ who had been immortalized in a short video on the mobile app during the election campaign.
Afterwards, the head of government raised his voice so that the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, “heard[e], on the other side of the door” of the National Assembly hall, where he was kept because he had not taken the oath to King Charles III during the period of parliamentary work. The former PQ said “not [avoir] remembering a leader of the Parti Québécois who had as much control over his entire caucus” as Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon, who leads a parliamentary group of three people, including himself.
Mr. Legault did not fail to greet the journalists perched in the stands who, according to him, form “the fourth opposition” to his government. “It has been a big year for journalists too. They too had an election campaign. So, I wish them to rest, then to come back… there I don’t know if I should say more in a good mood or just in a good mood, in January”, he said, half seriously.
Reading for the Holidays
In exchange for his good wishes, the Prime Minister received an Ontario tourist guide from interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay. “We wanted, properly, to document it on a subject that fascinates him,” he said, recalling Mr. Legault’s mania for comparing the “wealth” of Quebec and Ontario.
Mr. Legault collected a “reading suggestion” from Mr. Nadeau-Dubois, namely the essay A brief history of equality, by economist Thomas Piketty. “There are a few chapters on his favorite taxes in that book. It will, I am sure, fuel our future discussions on taxation, “he argued at the end of an autumn when QS was taken to task on more than one occasion on its proposals for impose “orange taxes” on the most polluting vehicles or even on net assets exceeding $1 million.
Joking aside, Mr. Legault invited other Quebec elected officials to congratulate themselves on “living in a democracy” where some “listen” to others despite their differences of opinion. He launched “a call for solidarity from all Quebecers” in this inflationary period where “we are living through trying times”. “Otherwise, well, I wish everyone a great holiday season, so, a merry Christmas, a happy new year 2023.”