Third referendum: PQ leader's speech is full of 'catastrophism,' says QS
Despite sharing the Parti Québécois (PQ)'s desire to make Quebec a country, Québec Solidaire (QS) parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois has roundly criticized PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon's speech, calling it "conservative."
On the weekend, St-Pierre Plamondon said that the federal government was "posing an existential threat" to Quebecers.
According to Nadeau-Dubois, the PQ leader's remarks were tinged with "sentiment," "fear" and "disaster."
"I even think that a speech like that could drive many young people away from the independence project," he said at a press briefing at the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay was equally outspoken in his attack on his PQ opponent, saying his speech was "clearly exaggerated," "out of touch" and "radical."
"It's clear that Paul St-Pierre Plamondon (...) wants to capitalize on fear: fear that the French fact will die if Quebec doesn't separate; fear that today we are threatened more than ever by the federal government," he said.
Over the weekend, at his party's national council in Drummondville, the PQ leader was fiercely critical of the federal government, accusing it of wanting to "crush those who refuse to assimilate."
He also hinted that the next referendum he promises to hold in a first PQ mandate could very well be the last opportunity.
The PQ leader denied that he was trying to scare voters.
"I'm describing very verifiable facts. You have to distinguish between fear and facts," he maintained. "I want to rise above partisanship."
LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: PQ leader accuses Canada of 'disrespecting the competencies of provinces'
Asked whether his speech was too stark a portrayal of Quebec's situation, St-Pierre Plamondon said, "There's certainly a negative part in what I said, but the negative part comes from the federal government's decisions, which I'm only describing."
Less vehement than QS and the Liberals, Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette was keen to stress that his party, the CAQ, was making gains for Quebec, while the PQ was simply waiting for the big night of the referendum.
"We're not resigned like Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon and we're taking concrete action so that Quebec can make gains," he said.
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 16, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Is there a cost to convenience? Canada approves new cancer immunotherapy treatment
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Canada's new dental program offering hope of free care to millions but many dentists aren't signed up
A new Canadian dental care program is offering the hope of free care to millions, but while 1.7 million people have signed up for the plan, only about 5,000 dentists have done the same.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
King Charles III returns to public duties with a trip to a cancer charity
King Charles III will return to public duties on Tuesday when he visits a cancer treatment charity, beginning his carefully managed comeback after the monarch’s own cancer diagnosis sidelined him for three months.
NDP says Ottawa's new grocery task force isn't living up to government promises
The federal government says the task force it created to monitor and investigate grocery retailers' practices has not conducted any probes and doesn't have a mandate to take enforcement action.
A group of Toronto tenants have been on a rent strike for a year and say there's no resolution in sight
Dozens of tenants in Toronto's Thorncliffe Park area have now been withholding their rent for one year, and it’s unclear when the dispute will end.
Archeologists search for remnants of Halifax's 250-year-old wall that surrounded the city
Archeologist Jonathan Fowler is using ground-penetrating radar to search for historic evidence of the massive wall that surrounded Halifax more than 250 years ago.
Kazakhstan arrests ex-interior minister in connection with unrest that left 238 dead
Authorities in Kazakhstan arrested a former interior minister on Tuesday, in connection with deadly police crackdown on unrest that gripped the country in 2022, Kazakh news media reported.