François Legault seems to have understood nothing of the snub that Jean-Talon’s population gave him on Monday. The harsh defeat suffered by the CAQ troops in favor of the Parti Québécois was a serious reminder that the voter is a being endowed with a certain intelligence and a certain self-esteem and that he does not like betrayal.
By opening the door to the resuscitation of the famous third link, the Prime Minister demonstrates that he misread the message sent yesterday. Voters are not angry about not having a highway tunnel, they are angry that they were taken for granted by promising them said tunnel and then saying that the studies were inconclusive.
They are angry that we did not give them the correct time before promising a project “at all costs”. The by-election was not a referendum on the third link, but rather a referendum on confidence in the government’s word. The proof: it is the Parti Québécois, which has always opposed the third link, which won the election resoundingly and unequivocally.
- Listen to the political meeting with Yasmine Abdelfadel and Marc-André Leclerc via QUB radio :
The Prime Minister maintains that this defeat reminds him that we must listen to the population. He is absolutely right on this point. But to govern is to choose. To govern is to decide and above all to assume responsibility.
However, by suggesting that the option of having a third highway link between Quebec and Lévis is still possible, the Prime Minister is putting himself in a strange position. Remember that he had put forward various arguments, notably studies and uncertain financing, among the reasons justifying the step back on this flagship electoral promise.
SCREENSHOT / VAT NEWS / QMI AGENCY
Did his studies change between Monday night and Tuesday? Did the federal government suddenly send an unexpected check that was lost in limbo at Canada Post until Tuesday morning? Obviously not.
A CAQ electoral thaw seems to be the only reason why the government is reopening the debate on the third link. Obviously, the loss of a constituency is more convincing than any science, even when this failure changes absolutely nothing in the balance of power.
The Caquistes are so stunned that they want to back down.
