Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre demonstrates a “deep contempt for democracy and Quebecers” when he asks “what is the Bloc Québécois for,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was indignant on Wednesday.
“Even if I disagree with the Bloc Québécois and their desire to always seek arguments, Quebecers voted in many ridings for the Bloc Québécois MPs who do their job, here, in this House of Commons,” said Mr. Trudeau first replied.
According to him, Mr. Poilievre’s comments are another example that he is “continually” contemptuous, having last month described the mayors of Quebec and Montreal, Bruno Marchand and Valérie Plante, as “incompetent.”
Barely had he finished his flight when Mr. Poilievre, all smiles, made fun of him. ” Beautiful ! Wow! A new Liberal-Bloc marriage. The Prime Minister compliments the Bloc. The Bloc applauds the Prime Minister,” he quipped.
Mr. Poilievre’s question on the usefulness of the Bloc Québécois is in fact the same as that asked last week by the Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault, to the PQ leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
“What is the purpose of the Bloc Québécois in Ottawa? It’s used for ? It’s used for ? », he thundered in the Blue Room of the National Assembly.
The Bloc leader, Yves-François Blanchet, subsequently maintained that Mr. Legault had visibly lost his temper during question period in a “moment of impulsiveness”, but that in fact “no one doubts the usefulness » of his political training.
The Bloc, he argued, obtained unanimous motions on immigration, on language, on recognition of the Quebec nation. According to him, important issues for Quebec “are only carried by the Bloc Québécois”.
A rain of reproaches
During Wednesday’s game, Pierre Poilievre justified himself by asserting that he was asking “simply the same question” as Mr. Legault, and that the answer is simple: “it is useful to the Prime Minister.”
He listed criticisms of the Bloc, in particular for having supported the financing of the ArriveCan application – which he renamed “ArriveScam” and which is the subject of criticism for significant cost overruns – through funds intended to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Conservatives are using these days a statement from the parliamentary leader of the Bloc Québécois, Alain Therrien, who explained his party’s vote by saying that he “is not going to scrutinize everything that is spent” by the government.
After Mr. Poilievre secondly asked what “the Liberal-Bloc marriage” is for, Prime Minister Trudeau replied that this is another example of contempt for democracy and that it “should worry Quebecers and all Canadians.”
“I spent my political career fighting for federalism in Quebec and for a united Canada, often against the Bloc Québécois,” he declared. But I have always had deep respect for anyone who comes forward to serve their fellow citizens and to be elected to this House of Commons. »
These attacks come as a recent Léger poll suggests that support for Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives is growing strongly in Quebec
Although the Bloc Québécois remains first in voting intentions in the province at 32%, the Conservatives follow at 29%, up six points in one month compared to a comparable survey, which is exactly the loss suffered by the liberals who find themselves at 21%. The NDP is at 11%.
Nationally, Conservatives lead at 41%. They are followed by the Liberals at 25% and the New Democrats at 18%. The results of this survey follow a trend that began in July last year, when the Conservatives overtook the Liberals in the voting intentions of Canadians.
The survey was conducted over the weekend among 1,554 Canadians, including 326 Quebecers. It is impossible to assign a margin of error to an online survey, as in this case, since the sampling method is non-probability.