The fruit is ripe for François Legault to make a profession of sovereignist faith, according to PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. But the “appetite for sovereignty” is not there, replied the Prime Minister on Thursday.
According to the leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ), the time to achieve independence is running out. By refusing “three times in 48 hours” to entrust more powers to Quebec in matters of immigration, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, sent a clear message to his Quebec counterpart, analyzed Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon during a press briefing at the Parliament Building on Thursday.
“The Premier of Quebec says: it’s a question of survival for the future of our nation,” said the leader of the Parti Québécois. I think it’s a call to duty, which I launch to François Legault. »
“You have predecessors, Mr. Legault, who dared to say: ‘If you don’t give us fair treatment, it will be our freedom, our independence.’ I ask that François Legault name this possibility, ”he continued.
The right vehicle?
On Wednesday, on the sidelines of the unveiling of the statue of her ex-husband Jacques Parizeau, former PQ MP Lisette Lapointe agreed that she saw “very good” in the nationalist project of the Coalition avenir Québec. So much so that in his eyes, he could guide Quebec towards independence.
In the eyes of former Prime Minister Lucien Bouchard, also present at the inauguration of the monument, the traditional vehicle of sovereignty, the PQ, could have breathed its last breath. “Vehicles in politics can be replaced. They are vehicles,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
However, Thursday, less than 24 hours after having himself participated in the unveiling of the statue, François Legault applied himself to framing the program of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) within Canadian federalism. “First, you have to make a distinction. We are a nationalist party, within Canada. What does “nationalist” mean? Among other things, to promote and protect French,” he said just before entering the Salon bleu.
The CAQ leader maintains that Quebec public opinion is not interested in the sovereignty project. “Me, I want to be a nationalist within Canada. There is no appetite for sovereignty,” he continued.
The CAQ caucus brings together both separatist and federalist deputies. Asked about their positions on Tuesday, a dozen elected officials contented themselves with making a plea in favor of “nationalism”.
According to the member for Chauveau, Sylvain Lévesque, sovereignty, “it is not in the ropes of the CAQ”. The Minister of Agriculture, André Lamontagne, who claims to have already been a separatist, has as “primary concern the sustainability and prosperity of the nation of Quebec”. “But I am completely comfortable with the current context,” he said Thursday.
Former member of the PQ, the CAQ Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, has abandoned his sovereignist convictions. “For me, it’s over, he agreed during an impromptu press. Quebecers have also settled this question. »
Hidden intentions?
Never mind, the Liberal Party of Quebec does not believe François Legault when he says he will not hold a referendum. In mid-April, MP Marc Tanguay urged the head of government to show his colors. On Thursday, the Liberal parliamentary leader, André Fortin, went one better.
“Mr. Legault said that, to reach a consensus, it was necessary to repatriate powers in immigration, it was necessary to emphasize the French language, he underlined. So if I [regarde ce] that Mr. Legault himself put forward so that there would be greater social acceptance of independence, well, I find that he is following the game plan to the letter, his own plan of game. »
At the other end of the spectrum, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon fears that it will soon be too late for independence. “By dint of repeating to Quebecers that they are not good, that they are not capable, at some point, it has an impact, he said, visibly taken by emotion, Thursday. We are capable of being a country, then we have no choice if we want linguistic and cultural sustainability. »
With Alexandre Robillard