Premier Philippe Couillard is back in Quebec and facing criticism after a trip to Iceland.
While in the small country Couillard had harsh words for Jean-Francois Lisée, the new leader of the Parti Quebecois.
But a political science professor said Couillard went too far in discussing Quebec's issues while outside the province.
On Friday night, Lisée wasted no time in targeting the Liberal party in his victory speech, inviting anglophones and allophones to get rid the "inept, unethical, bumbling Liberal government."
"Free us from the Liberals. Well that's our plan, for all of us, next election," said Lisée.
Couillard returned fire while in Iceland and accused Lisee of fearmongering during his leadership campaign, and said that in Lisée the PQ chose the victory of "the nationalism of exclusion."
During the final weeks of the campaign Lisée was very critical of immigration and said Quebec accepts too many immigrants, and that those it has accepted do not greatly benefit the province.
Couillard said the PQ seemed to be moving closer to "a kind of nationalism of the besieged, nationalism of the fearful, of people who don't want to deal with diversity, who prefer Quebec remains folded in on itself. That's what we see elsewhere in world."
The National Assembly is on hiatus this week, and Couillard refused to discuss the Iceland trip on Tuesday, but Lisée spoke to reporters and said in his opinion, the Liberals were part of the extreme right because Couillard refused to discuss identity and immigration.
"Neither Phillippe Couillard, nor me, nor Francois Legault should recommend the number of immigrants. It should be the Auditor General. I think that's reasonable. I say that 100% of newcomers should have knowledge of French either before they come or as refugees that we should really give them the means to learn French. I think that's reasonable and the third thing is, like 10 democracies in Europe, we could have a discussion about the full veil in public spaces. I think that's reasonable," said Lisée.
Eric Montigny of the University of Laval said Couillard's comments were a breach of protocol.
"There's a tradition in Quebec, there was a tradition in Quebec, that you don't export your conflict outside Quebec," said Montigny.
He thinks that discussing Quebec while in Iceland will hurt the Liberal brand.
"There's two things. When you want to define your adversary if you go too far, it lacks credibility. That's the first thing. The second thing is that you don't do that at the international level. He's going to have plenty of time to attack Mr. Lisée at the National Assembly," said Montigny.
Next week Lisée will take his seat as opposition leader, and will then spend two years trying to convince Quebecers to oust the Liberals -- and elect a party that won't hold a referendum on separation until 2022.
Meanwhile, Lisée will have his first meeting with a foreign leader on Friday.
Lisée will meet French Prime Minister Manuel Valls during his visit to Quebec.
Valls is going to meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday, and will meet Couillard on Friday.
