The Parti Québécois (PQ) must stay the course for independence during the next election campaign despite the “adversity” facing the project, claimed Paul St-Pierre-Plamondon.
The PQ leader was speaking Saturday morning to PQ delegates meeting in the national council in Boucherville, ahead of the October elections. He invited them to fully assume their convictions and remain authentic, which will win votes, according to him.
“We don’t back down, we don’t deviate, we don’t apologize, we don’t change our minds. We are going to fight, ”he said in a room at the Mortagne hotel, before being applauded by the crowd.
In a press briefing, Mr. St-Pierre-Plamondon deplored that he was “imposed the narrative that independence is not popular”, while about a third of Quebecers say they are sovereignists in the latest polls.
Nevertheless, there is a significant gap between the 8% of voting intentions obtained by the PQ, according to Léger’s latest sounding, and support for sovereignty.
“Clearly, there is room for growth,” said the PQ leader, without being able to offer any further explanation for this discrepancy.
According to him, the news of the last few days demonstrates the relevance and urgency of independence. By refusing to talk about sovereignty, “Quebec will only get refusals from Ottawa and Quebec will unfortunately be condemned to linguistic and cultural decline,” argued the 10th leader of the PQ in his speech.
“126 CAQ deputies out of 125? »
Mr. St-Pierre-Plamondon also did not fail to attack the CAQ government, accusing it of “aplaventrism” and of having obtained “significant setbacks” against the federal government. He ridiculed François Legault’s desire to obtain a “strong mandate” to repatriate immigration powers.
“As if the current mandate – majority with 76 deputies – was not enough, but especially as if getting a few more deputies was going to change anything about Justin Trudeau’s position. It’s really taking people for granted, ”launched the PQ leader.
His message had the support of Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet, who declared himself to be a PQ member, during a warmly applauded speech on Saturday afternoon before PQ delegates.
“Does Quebec need 126 CAQ deputies out of 125? he asked jokingly. This is not a reproach. We’re going to an election, we want them all, everyone, that’s normal. »
Mr. Blanchet, however, wondered if the current nationalism in the National Assembly is strong enough. If he were to be pushed in another direction in the face of “an adversary in Ottawa who is often an enemy”.
“Doesn’t nationalism sometimes risk becoming a bargaining chip in exchange for a check? Shouldn’t this nationalism, on the contrary, be supported until its finality, the right to self-determination, the exercise of self-determination or frankly said independence? affirmed the Bloc leader, arousing applause.
During the National Council, participants also heard speakers on the state of French and on reindustrialization.
Optimists
The Coalition avenir du Québec (CAQ) is still at the top of the polls, with 46% of support, leaving the opposition far behind.
PQ MPs are nonetheless optimistic as the election approaches. Pascal Bérubé believes that the election campaign will shed more light on the opposition parties.
“In the last two years, we have mainly heard from the government, which is on the news channels continuously, which is constantly in front of the cameras. There, there will be room to express oneself. This election is far from over,” argued the MP for Matane-Matapédia, in a press scrum.
His colleague Joël Arsenau also believes that the tide will turn with the holding of substantive debates on important issues such as the environment.
“The only thing that is certain with the polls is that they will change. We will not be able to give the keys to parliament to 125 CAQ deputies. It won’t happen,” he said, confident that his leader will win the support of Quebecers.
This article has been produced with the financial support of the Meta Scholarships and The Canadian Press for the news.