After a CAQ mandate marked by contested reforms in immigration and language, the first debate of the leaders of the electoral campaign gave rise, Thursday evening, to lively discussions on these two subjects. This game of five was punctuated by several cacophonous moments which forced the host to cut microphones.
On immigration, François Legault defended his decision to maintain the number of immigrants received at 50,000 per year. “The duty of the Premier of Quebec is to stop the decline of French,” he said.
The PQ leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who wants to reduce this number to 35,000 people per year, accused him of keeping the same thresholds as Jean Charest and Philippe Couillard. “You have lost control of immigration,” he said, adding that his policies condemn French to decline.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois maintained that his two adversaries “pretend not to agree”. Québec solidaire (QS) relies on the regionalization of immigration and francization in the workplace.
“I’m sure it can work,” he said, putting the thresholds he’s aiming for between 60,000 and 80,000.
Dominique Anglade affirmed that immigration was a source of wealth. She criticized Mr. Legault for his controversial statements linking immigration and violence.
“I think we both agree that immigration is wealth,” replied the caquist. “I’m not sure,” said M.me England.
Mr. Legault defended his remarks. “What I said is that all states in the world must ensure that newcomers are integrated into the values where they are going,” replied Mr. Legault.
Mr. Duhaime remained vague on how he would go about ensuring that newcomers share the “common values” that he considers important to their reception in Quebec.
The protection of the French language also gave rise to lively exchanges.
Dominique Anglade criticized Québec solidaire for supporting the law resulting from Bill 96, which reformed the Quebec Charter of the French language. “You betrayed your principles,” she said. […] The day you voted for this law, you stopped showing solidarity. »
Éric Duhaime, who actively courts the English-speaking community, attacked Mme England. ” You betrayed English Quebeckers on that bill said Duhaime.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon accused Mr. Legault of being “the author of the fastest anglicization in the history of Quebec”. “Do you realize that doesn’t make any sense!” he launched. The leader of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) criticized Paul St-Pierre Plamondon for being “defeatist”.
Climate taxes
François Legault quickly fired red balls Thursday evening on the “orange taxes” proposed by Quebec solidaire, starting with that of 15% on energy-intensive vehicles. Buyers of a Toyota Camry would pay an “orange tax” of $4,800; minivan buyers, $7,500, he illustrated. “The middle class is not the big rich that should be taxed,” argued the CAQ leader, before scratching the taxes on net assets and on estates of more than one million which are in QS cartons.
“A thousand dollars per million, after the first million, I don’t call that abuse,” said left-wing political party spokesman Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. “That means that the richest 5% in Quebec will have to, with Quebec solidaire, do a little more. That bothers Mr. Legault a lot. Personally, I think it’s fair and balanced,” he said, while taking great care to add that “for 95% of the people listening to us this evening, this matter will not change anything except that they are going to have better health services, better education services”.
In the eyes of Éric Duhaime, the QS electoral campaign quickly took on the appearance of a ” striptease tax”. “That’s what’s amazing with Québec solidaire, it’s every time there’s a problem, there’s a tax,” lamented the leader of the Conservative Party (PCQ). For their part, the Conservatives are proposing a suspension of the Quebec sales tax on gasoline in order to give respite to Quebec motorists, hit hard by inflation.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois invited Éric Duhaime, who has an environmental program similar to that of Mr. Legault, “but on steroids”, to run for the post of governor of the American oil state of Texas. “You’re going to be really in your place,” he dropped. “I would never tell you to show up in Cuba,” retorted Mr. Duhaime.
“The Worst Confiner”
Thursday, François Legault defended himself for having imposed health measures for two years to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Éric Duhaime, the outgoing prime minister has thus become “the worst confiner on the continent”. “You were the first minister of containment,” summarized the Conservative leader during a full-bodied exchange with Mr. Legault.
“I did this to save lives,” replied the chief caquiste. According to him, Mr. Duhaime is playing a dangerous game by criticizing the sanitary tightening. “Me, I understand that the citizens were tired. But that a leader like you, to win votes, does not support the measures… You fired into the bottom of the boat. It’s irresponsible,” he said.
In turn, the chiefs attacked the CAQ’s model of care for the elderly, at the end of a pandemic which took the lives of thousands of people housed in CHSLDs. These “are not air-conditioned, are not renovated”, lamented Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
Academic freedom
Asked by Pierre Bruneau about education, the leaders of the two independence parties, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, clung to academic freedom. “In what society do we live if there are words that we can no longer use,” said “PSPP”, inviting “GND” to name a favorite book by Pierre Vallières.
“Of course, we can say the name of the book by Pierre Vallières white niggers of america “, said Mr. Nadeau-Dubois, according to whom, however, “people do not talk to me about that, they talk about the lack of teachers”.
Still on education, François Legault criticized Éric Duhaime for reviving liberal austerity by promising cuts of “ten billion”. “The main cut we want to make is business subsidies,” retorted the leader of the PCQ.
The host of the debate, at a certain point, asked Mr. Duhaime – who was unable to pay his municipal tax or electricity bills on time, we learned over the last few days – s he proposed to manage public finances like his personal finances. The question fell flat.
The debate ended calmly with a rare unanimity: the five leaders said they agreed that violence, as it has sometimes manifested itself during this electoral campaign, had no place in the political debate and that they all shared a responsibility to find ways to end it.
With Marie-Paul Rouleau