The candidate of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) in Argenteuil, doctor Karim Elayoubi, recognized on Friday the need for vaccination campaigns against COVID-19, while recalling the importance of “free choice” advocated by his political formation. “As a doctor, I encouraged the population to get vaccinated,” he said during a press briefing held in front of the Lachute hospital in the Laurentians.
The conservative caravan was in the region to present its health plan, which advocates an opening to the private sector. The family doctor says he believes “in the intelligence of Quebecers”, but believes that the vaccination campaign was necessary.
In recent days, Conservative leader Éric Duhaime has delivered several speeches criticizing “the devastating impact” that health measures had during the pandemic. He also suggested that if the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) were re-elected, wearing a face covering could once again become compulsory in schools, although François Legault had said in mid-August that there was no question of bring back such sanitary measures in September.
Asked whether mandatory health measures were necessary to preserve the health system, Karim Elayoubi answered in the affirmative. “We never said it takes zero measures,” he argued under a scorching sun. The PCQ, however, would have had “a much less coercive attitude”, argued the family doctor. “When we talk about a curfew with an alert […]was there any evidence [que ça fonctionnait] compared to that? Unfortunately, the government did not release them to us. »
As for wearing a face covering — which was mandatory until very recently on public transport — the Dr Elayoubi believes that few people oppose it when this measure is “very temporary”.
Duhaime to conquer the 450
The PCQ campaigned in Lachute and Saint-Jérôme on Friday. According to projections from the QC125 site, the outgoing caquist deputy for Argenteuil, Agnès Grondin, would be the favorite, with 51% of the voting intentions. Same scenario for his colleague Youri Chassin in Saint-Jérôme, where he will compete, among others, with the curator Maxime Clermont.
But never mind, Éric Duhaime continues his assault on the Laurentian 450. “Remember the wave of Action Démocratique du Québec in 2007, which performed very well in the 450”, he argued last Sunday. The current leader of the PCQ had been a candidate for the ADQ in the riding of Deux-Montagnes in the 2003 Quebec elections.