Jean Charest’s liberal past is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Pierre Poilievre, who reproached him for having simply put on a blue shirt over a red one to become leader of the Conservative Party.
It must be said that the red shirt was added to the original blue, which Mr. Charest had wanted to keep when he landed in Quebec in 1998, and that he presented himself as a disciple of the Conservative Prime Minister of the Ontario, Mike Harris, who advised social assistance recipients to get baloney.
After the 2003 Liberal victory in Quebec, Mr. Poilievre would no doubt have appreciated his attempt to “reengineer” the state and his commitment to lowering taxes by a billion a year for five years. It was after realizing that Quebecers remained attached to the welfare state inherited from the Quiet Revolution that Mr. Charest changed his shirt.
Regardless, the following years provided Mr. Poilievre with plenty of ammunition. During the debate between four of the five candidates for the leadership of the CPC on Thursday, he was spoiled for choice: the “health tax” of $ 200 introduced in 2010, the “family tax”, it is that is, daycare rates adjusted according to income, the increase in the QST, carbon pricing… So many mortal sins in the eyes of conservative activists.
Mr. Charest may proclaim his faith in oil exploitation and the construction of new pipelines, promise to resuscitate the LNG Quebec project in Saguenay, nothing helps. Instead, he is reminded that he imposed a moratorium on shale gas.
Not to mention the QLP’s fundraising practices, which made Mr. Poilievre say that there was “more integrity in the average trucker’s little finger than in his entire Liberal cabinet of scandals”.
Mr. Charest has the reputation of being a good debater who does not allow himself to be imposed, but he had never been confronted with an alley cat like Mr. Poilievre. Lucien Bouchard, Bernard Landry, Mario Dumont or François Legault could be scathing, but there was a limit that the most basic civility prevented them from crossing.
For years, Mr. Poilievre has played tough in the House of Commons, but parliamentary rules still impose a modicum of restraint on him. During Thursday’s debate, the moderators seemed to enjoy letting his ferocity run free. The supporters present in the room obviously did not ask for better.
When he summoned Mr. Charest to reveal the fees received from Huawei, it looked like an Inquisition court. The show was no doubt entertaining and some would say Mr. Charest got what he deserved, but it didn’t look like Canada. That the former Quebec premier was booed when he criticized his opponent for having supported the illegal action of the truckers was something Trumpian.
All this will not contribute to enlarging the electorate of the Conservative Party. Saying the words “Premier Poilievre” seems almost incongruous. Many would never have thought that one day they would regret Stephen Harper.
Turning the debate into a rat race no doubt reflects Mr. Poilievre’s temperament, but above all it allows him to limit his speech to a series of ” clips hard-hitting that doesn’t commit him to much.
Since the beginning of the race, Mr. Charest has sought to present himself as a man of experience and content, capable of unifying the party and the country. We still need to know if the Conservatives want to reflect on their past mistakes or if they simply want to let off steam.
His record of service in defense of Canadian unity did not seem to make a great impression. When he recalled his role in the No camp during the 1995 referendum campaign, he was reminiscent of a former soldier who evokes his memories of war in front of younger people who have not experienced it. We listen politely while eager to move on.
Mr. Charest must feel a great ingratitude to think that he was begged, including by the Conservatives, to interrupt his career in Ottawa to prevent Lucien Bouchard from holding another referendum, otherwise he would not never became a Liberal and might have been elected Prime Minister of Canada twenty years ago.
He suggested that it would be “refreshing” if, for once, Canada was led by a former provincial premier who would be familiar with the dynamics of federalism and who could make it work more smoothly.
Unfortunately, this has had the effect of reminding us once again that the former prime minister in question comes from Quebec, where he headed a…liberal government. Always this cursed shirt that sticks to his skin!