Sharp remarks and clear allusions were in the spotlight during the launch of the Lévesque year, Monday evening at the Grande Bibliothèque, in Montreal, while Lucien Bouchard returned to his remarks recently made with regard to the Parti Québécois (PQ ).
The cream of Quebec politics gathered downtown to honor the memory of René Lévesque, whose 100th birthday is this year. The leaders of the parties represented in the National Assembly all took the floor in an official ceremony hosted by Annie-Soleil Proteau.
One of the first to speak, former PQ Premier and Honorary President of the Year Lévesque, Lucien Bouchard, did not sidestep the controversy that has been raging in the separatist ranks for two weeks now. “I recently saw [..] that Lévesque’s heirs have lost none of their ability to react with their vigorous promptness,” noted Mr. Bouchard with humour.
During an interview granted to Radio-Canada, Mr. Bouchard had estimated that the PQ was a “worn vehicle” which “does not deserve to go very well”, which had aroused the ire of several separatists. During his speech Monday evening, he nevertheless described these remarks as “untimely” and added that he would “formulate them differently today”.
For his part, François Legault honored the memory of René Lévesque by evoking a theme that is dear to him – Quebec pride – and described René Lévesque as a “creator of pride”. ” [Il] freed us from our “born for a bun” mentality. He gave us confidence in ourselves,” added the Prime Minister. “It was René Lévesque who got me interested in politics. »
Sharp remarks
Québec solidaire spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois did not hesitate to launch what some might consider an allusion to François Legault when speaking of René Lévesque. “He was not looking for the lowest common denominator in pursuit of the greatest number of votes, he never gave in to demagoguery, he never pitted us against each other,” he said, which sparked a few murmurs in the room.
The leader of the PQ, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, also made evocative remarks about Lévesque. “Let’s bet that he would have used the words ‘false pretense’ and ‘hypocrisy’ to describe the political news of the last few weeks,” he said, quoting these expressions that René Lévesque has already used. Invited to continue on the subject during a press briefing after his speech, he spoke of the party’s heritage: “There were many former PQ members who gave so much for us to become a country, and we tend to honor them without mentioning the essential. It took someone tonight to mention the main thing. »
The PQ leader was initially not invited to speak at the event, which has sparked political controversy in recent weeks. The René-Lévesque Foundation finally sent him an invitation last week. Of all the speakers present, he received the loudest applause when he took the podium.
The Liberal leader, Dominique Anglade, for her part, made herself more consensual by evoking the highlights of René Lévesque’s career. ” This is [son] openness to the world and to others that allowed René Lévesque to win the hearts of Quebecers,” she said.
Creation of a journalism prize
François Legault took advantage of his speech to announce the creation of the René-Lévesque prize, which will be awarded as of 2023 as part of the Prix du Québec and which will reward a journalist who has made a significant contribution to the profession. “It’s a great way to immortalize René Lévesque’s contribution to Quebec journalism,” said the Premier. It will be “the highest distinction awarded by the Government of Quebec” in the field of journalism.
The ceremony was preceded by a cocktail party, where many well-known politicians and ex-politicians were able to exchange a few words, a drink in hand. In the hall of the Grande Bibliothèque, several historical and current leaders of the independence movement met.
Lucien Bouchard and the PQ member for Matane-Matapédia, Pascal Bérubé, also greeted each other warmly despite the severe criticism recently made by Bouchard with regard to the PQ. “It disappointed me, what he said, but now it’s in the past”, explained Pascal Bérubé to the To have to. St-Pierre Plamondon also said in a press briefing that he did not blame Bouchard, emphasizing instead that the controversy “had the merit of launching the debate on the importance, the need to talk about our political status, to talk about the independence of Quebec. »
Claude and Suzanne Lévesque, respectively the son and daughter of the founder of the PQ, also delivered a short speech during the evening, as did the CEO of Quebecor and former head of the PQ, Pierre Karl Péladeau, whose company is the official presenter of the commemorations.
This ceremony was the launch of the Lévesque year, which serves as a commemoration to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the famous politician’s birth. This is an initiative of the René-Lévesque Foundation, which is organizing several activities for the occasion in memory of the man.