Threats of killings in the National Assembly caused an uproar among elected officials on Thursday. The Prime Minister, François Legault, took the opportunity to attack the oppositions, which reacted badly, according to him.
Earlier this week, Kevin “Big” Grenier, one of the three organizers of the “Freedom Convoy”, said in a video posted on Facebook that several people had approached him with violent thoughts.
He said that these people even evoked the idea of ”carrying out killings”, of “taking up arms and going to parliament”. “What are you waiting for, for drama to happen host**? My Quebec hurts, ”he exclaimed.
A worrying situation, according to the parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), André Fortin, who believes that the Legault government must “take note” of the polarization.
” There is […] people who […] are ready, obviously, to take extreme measures which are completely unacceptable, inappropriate, illegal”, denounced Mr. Fortin in a press briefing.
He believes that in the face of this phenomenon, the government should be “even more transparent […] to reduce this skepticism, this cynicism of the population”.
For his part, the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire (QS), Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, said he noticed that “the tone of the calls has changed, the tone of the emails has evolved”.
“It worries me to see an increase in tension like this,” he said. The demonstrations of the last few days are a “warning” to the entire political class, according to him.
Mr. Nadeau-Dubois invited “all heads of government, all heads of state, in Quebec, in Canada and around the world”, to be attentive to the situation.
He asks them to avoid the “trap” of pointing fingers at the demonstrators, ridiculing them, looking down on them, or simply wanting to repress their movements without further reflection.
The leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ), Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, in turn deplored the deterioration of the social climate. “You have to take this very seriously. […] This kind of threat can get out of hand very quickly, ”he warned.
According to Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon, governments are partly responsible for the situation. He recalls that in Quebec, the Legault government flirted with the idea of taxing the unvaccinated.
“You have been told for two years now, in the Parti Québécois, that the lack of transparency, the yo-yos, will have an effect on the social climate, on people’s mental health. Good […], we see a deterioration of the situation. »
Legault furious
These remarks made Prime Minister François Legault jump. When he arrived for question period on Thursday, he said he expected more support from other party leaders.
“It’s totally irresponsible to come and support people who threaten to take up arms against health regulations by saying: “They are somewhat right; it’s the government’s fault,” he fumed.
“I hoped to have the support of the opposition. It does not make sense for the Liberal Party and the Parti Québécois to say that it is my fault if these people are threatening to take up arms. There are still limits! »