The leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, is annoyed by the “Françoise David law” both in form and substance and criticizes Québec solidaire (QS) for wallowing in “media moments”.
For two days, the PQ leader has insisted that we stop using the expression “Françoise David law” and that we name the bill aimed at expanding the one tabled in 2016 by the former MP by her number, the 198.
“The law is not called the Françoise David law,” he said on Tuesday. “Is there a Véronique Hivon law regarding end of life? Is there a Pauline Marois law? Should we call the housing law, Bill 31, the Duranceau law? »
“In terms of fairness between parties and rigor, I do not think that we should, as parties, as journalists, rename laws based on the presumed authorship or maternity of a law, especially since Québec solidaire was not in power. »
Bill 198 aims to expand the law tabled in 2016 by former MP Françoise David to prevent homeowners from evicting low-income tenants aged 70 and over who have resided in their apartment for ten years or more.
Thursday morning, the PQ leader argued that Québec solidaire was poorly defending the tenants’ issue in Parliament by relying on “media moments”.
Negotiated “rather softly”
He said that during the debates on the gag order before Christmas, he had “really tried” to change the position of the Coalition Avenir Québec on the transfer of the lease while “QS had negotiated more leniently” so that it was allowed to introduce Bill 198.
This bill would offer protection to tenants from the age of 65 instead of 70, and would reduce the number of years of occupancy of the apartment required from ten to five years. The maximum income to benefit from it would also be adjusted.
The government agreed to call the bill Thursday afternoon for debate, but suggested it did not necessarily plan to vote in favor of it. During the question period, Thursday morning, the Minister of Housing, France-Élaine Duranceau stressed that the subject had been “extensively discussed” during the study of Bill 31 and, on Wednesday, Prime Minister François Legault refused to commit to supporting such reform.
Québec solidaire, for its part, decided to devote the entire day of Thursday to this issue. Its interventions at the Salon Bleu all focused on this, and the party organized a press briefing at the beginning of the afternoon alongside Françoise David and numerous civil society groups to press the government to adopt the draft law 198.
With the collaboration of Marie-Michèle Sioui