PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon did not rule out a sovereign Quebec retaining the Canadian dollar on Friday, after taking a position in favor of a Quebec currency earlier this fall.
In a press conference on the occasion of the adjournment of parliamentary work, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon refrained from repeating that he wishes to develop a sovereign monetary policy.
The PQ leader relied on the conclusions of a “blue book”, currently being developed, which must answer several questions on the sovereignist plan by 2025.
“The blue book will be the result of consultations with economists and experts alike,” he said.
Last October, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon broke with the traditional PQ position of maintaining the Canadian currency in an independent Quebec by speaking out in favor of a Quebec currency.
After indicating that the final answer would come from the “blue book”, the PQ leader insisted on the advantages of a sovereign monetary policy.
“Quebec would benefit from having its own monetary policy based on our economic imperatives and not those of Alberta and Ontario,” he said on October 18, a few days before unveiling his budget for a Quebec sovereign.
In a brief exchange which followed his press conference, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon told the Duty that the “reflection is not completed” regarding the motto. However, he maintained that a priori, it will be more advantageous for a sovereign Quebec to have its own monetary policy.
Friday, interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay saw an “inconsistency” in the fact that Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon does not rule out maintaining the Canadian currency. “You can see it’s a 180 degree,” he said. It’s a contradiction. »
Referendum in a first mandate
In concluding a parliamentary sequence marked by a resounding victory for the PQ in Jean-Talon and a rise to first place in the polls, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon refrained from any triumphalism.
“It’s encouraging, it’s encouraging,” he said. We feel the support of the population. »
“PSPP” acknowledged that these polls could fluctuate between now and the next election scheduled for 2026. “They may go higher, they may go back down, they will do all sorts of things,” he said. warned. It does not influence our political action. »
In his opening statement, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon immediately anticipated questions from journalists on the effect of the polls.
“To the question: now that you have good polls, are you going to change your approach? Are you going to return to good government by discarding independence? The answer is no. The approach remains the same. What we said remains and will remain,” he declared.
Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon repeated that a PQ government would organize a referendum on sovereignty in a first mandate.
“We have no announcement to make on the referendum mechanics,” he said. What we have to say is that the mandate of the Parti Québécois will be dedicated in particular to a popular consultation on the future of Quebec. »
It was not possible to know whether the timing of this consultation will be established before the next election. The “blue book” will address this “fundamental question”.
“We are in 2023, so, as of today, it is not the time for this announcement,” he explained. Then we will have announcements in due course. »
The PQ leader recalled that the PQ’s next step in its roadmap towards independence is a document on Quebec’s immigration policies, which will precede the tabling of the “blue book” and another document on the definition citizenship and the question of identity.
Blow bar
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon gave a grim assessment of the government’s actions in recent months. The PQ leader cited the government’s policies on immigration, its inability to fight against rising prices and strikes in the public sector.
“What we want most is for the government to remedy the situation, to get its act together,” he said. We are ready to collaborate, because three years of governance in a context where, clearly, our public policies, at the moment, are not giving the expected results, it can be long, and it is not in the interest of the Quebec. »
Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon called for a fifth time a ministerial reshuffle.
“A government which, at a minimum, acknowledges that things are not going well, would do a reshuffle,” he said.