(Quebec) Private in health, attacks against the tramway, “privatized” social housing, François Legault is influenced by the rise of the Conservative Party of Éric Duhaime and begins a “big right turn” in view of the elections, predicts Gabriel Nadeau- Dubois.
Posted at 5:45 p.m.
“The tone is changing, and for me, it’s clear, François is being influenced by the rise of the conservative right in Quebec. He is afraid of losing seats, particularly in the Quebec City region, and he is in the process of announcing his colors for the next elections,” said the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire in an interview with The Press.
In the polls, Quebec solidaire is leveling off, but the Conservative Party of Quebec is skyrocketing. “The rise of Éric Duhaime, everyone sees it and it is part of a broader context where there is a rise of the right in several democracies”, answers Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.
But what worries him is that, according to him, François Legault, rather than opposing this current, is trying to cling to it. However, the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, has just tabled a budget that increases health spending by 6.3% and spending on higher education by 13.1%. Is this the signature of a right-wing government?
“François Legault tried to give himself the image of a moderate government, of a central government. He even described himself as being on the effective left. But his latest statements and decisions tell us that he is taking a turn to the right,” replies Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.
He cites as an example the “block exit” of three ministers, “big guns of the CAQ”, to “attack the mayor of Quebec [Bruno Marchand] and to sabotage the tramway project”. Minister Éric Caire had affirmed that Mr. Marchand had to stop “polluting” the lives of drivers with a shared street project linked to the establishment of a tramway in Quebec City; he subsequently recanted.
It does not take “a doctorate in political science” to make the link between the exit of the CAQ and the fact that “in the Quebec region, Éric Duhaime is campaigning against public transport”, he says. “To say that doing public transport is to make war on cars, as Éric Caire said, these are very revealing statements of the true orientations of this party. And these are not things we heard before,” says Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.
“He talks to us about health privatization, he tabled a program that privatizes social housing, he sends checks to families who make $200,000 a year. These are right-wing policies. This is not the Quebec in which I want to raise my daughter. »
Mr. Nadeau-Dubois even fears that this “influence” of Duhaime, who opposes health measures, will be felt on the management of the pandemic by the Legault government. “I can’t wait to hear François Legault and know his plan for the sixth wave. Until now, it’s radio silence on his side. The question arises: will he be on these issues also influenced by the rise of the conservative right? he asked. He goes so far as to say that the CAQ wants a “society that resembles the United States”.
By portraying François Legault as a right-wing politician, Mr. Nadeau-Dubois also places his electoral pawns: Québec solidaire thus becomes “the progressive alternative”. Mr. Nadeau-Dubois also wants to “bring together” voters who want to keep the “Quebec model”.