(Quebec) Like the Liberal Marc Tanguay, the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, Éric Duhaime, believes that Jean Charest is an example to follow in terms of intergovernmental relations.
The Conservative leader detailed his “Duhaime Immigration Plan” at a press conference on Monday, which includes “strong” measures to make Quebec more “autonomous”.
He welcomed the fact that Mr. Charest – this former Liberal prime minister and former candidate for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada – had a marked interest in Quebec-Ottawa relations.
Mr. Duhaime indicated that he did not detect the same interest in the current Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault, whom the federal government of Justin Trudeau is happily sending “to pasture”, according to him.
“The current government, in terms of federal-provincial relations, has a record that is more disappointing than that of its predecessors, including that of the government of Jean Charest,” he began.
“We have a government that has a lot […] criticized the other parties when they were in power, but today, we are forced to note that his record is even thinner than the one he denounced.
“Jean Charest had an interest in the rest of Canada, in forging links with people who were a little more decentralized, with conservatives as he already was. […] He had a much greater interest.
“François Legault doesn’t seem to interest him much, in fact,” analyzed Éric Duhaime, who proposes creating a strong “interprovincial alliance” on the immigration issue.
In recent days, interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay said in an interview with La Presse Canadienne that Mr. Legault would have every interest in being “inspired” by Jean Charest in his relations with Ottawa.
He praised the achievements of Mr. Charest, recalling that it was under his initiative that the Council of the Federation was created in 2003.
This forum brings together the prime ministers of the provinces and territories and allows them to make common demands vis-à-vis the federal government.
During his participation in the summer meeting of the Council of the Federation in 2019, Mr. Legault discussed economic immigration with the other prime ministers.
More recently, he wrote to Mr. Trudeau to urge him to curb the influx of asylum seekers; four ministers also called on Ottawa to ensure that asylum seekers are better distributed across the country.
The CAQ government claims that the costs associated with welcoming asylum seekers now exceed $1 billion and continues to demand reimbursement from the federal government.
Last Thursday, federal Minister Pablo Rodriguez did not close the door to negotiating with Quebec, but he criticized the Legault government for lacking sensitivity in this issue.
Éric Duhaime deplored on Monday the “indifference” of the Trudeau government regarding Quebec’s “legitimate” immigration demands. He believes it is time to move to a more muscular approach.
The Conservative leader proposes five measures:
- Consider filing a lawsuit, with an injunction, against the federal government to recover all funds owed and for failing to comply with its border protection responsibilities;
- As demanded by Québec solidaire, request the reopening of the 1991 Gagnon-Tremblay-McDougall Accord to force immediate negotiation with the federal government on the issue of immigration;
- Send an official request to the federal government and the other provinces of Canada regarding the repatriation of all immigration powers;
- Build strong ties with other provinces on the issue of immigration;
- Send a non-partisan delegation to Ottawa to demand complete repatriation of powers and full control of our immigration.
“The Legault government, alone, which will beg Ottawa, this strategy is doomed to failure. […] It does not work. We need to create a balance of power,” insisted Mr. Duhaime.