The liberal leader does not believe the excuses of François Legault. The outgoing Prime Minister delivered the substance of his thinking by associating violence with immigration, she said.
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“I’ve heard people say he’s apologized and… basically he’s apologized and it’s not that bad. What he delivered yesterday is the substance of his thought, ”said Dominique Anglade Thursday morning during a press briefing in an elementary school in Laval.
Mme Anglade maintains that the outgoing prime minister made remarks that “fuel fear of the other and fear of difference.”
At the end of the day on Wednesday, the head of the CAQ tried to rectify his remarks on Twitter.
“Immigration is an asset for Quebec. Integration will always be a challenge for a French-speaking nation in North America. I didn’t want to associate immigration with violence. I’m sorry if my comments caused confusion. My will is to gather, ”he wrote.
These excuses, the liberal leader “does not believe them”, arguing that Mr. Legault himself maintains the slippages on immigration with his statements.
“This is the true face of Mr. Legault. He said aloud what he was thinking in a low voice, ”repeated Mme England. “We cannot build a strong Quebec if we alienate part of our population (…) It is not by scaring the other that we will get there.”
very bad picture
Dominique Anglade believes that the outgoing Prime Minister projects a very bad image of Quebec by asserting that Quebecers do not like “extremists” nor “violence” and that it is important to maintain immigration thresholds at the current level.
“It’s dangerous,” she said. “We are a land of welcome, a land of openness. Quebecers are welcoming.”
Moreover, the chief reiterates that she wants an immigration threshold of 70,000 newcomers per year. The head of the CAQ wants to lower it to 50,000.
“He thinks it’s dangerous, that we’re going to become Louisiana. He made these remarks, ”she hammered. “We don’t need that in Quebec.”
Leaving the CAQ
The Liberal leader also wanted to recall that she left the Coalition Avenir Québec, which she chaired, because of issues of immigration and identity.
“It’s been almost 10 years and we still come back to the same place,” she said, mentioning that today she has “few” friends within the CAQ.
“Those who left had to leave. Many left because of it. I was there too and I realized how much it did not represent my values.
She presumes that people of immigrant origin who campaign for the CAQ “must be embarrassed”.
“When they look at what the prime minister said, they shouldn’t be proud. They must be particularly embarrassed and especially uncomfortable. They will not be able to defend that position,” she said, inviting them to join the liberal ranks.