Jean Charest admitted Sunday he is partly to blame for the acrimonious debate that marked the last session of the National Assembly.
After a session sullied by allegations of favouritism in daycare permits, collusion and fraud in the construction industry, political interference in the naming of judges, Charest told Liberals at the Young Liberal Convention in Ste. Augustin des Demaures Sunday that he had changed his tone and called on the opposition to debate issues, not scandal.
A recent Angus Reid poll shows 70 per cent of Quebecers are dissatisfied with the Charest Liberals, the lowest approval rating in his seven years in office.
Though the poll also showed the PQ would win handily in an election, Quebecers also said they did not appreciate the level of debate on either side of the House inside the National Assembly this spring.
"I get it, I get it, and I will do everything in my power to make the debates calmer and I am not alone in this. It takes two to tango," Charest said Sunday.
Charest backed up the talk by placing more soft-spoken ministers on the front line, exchanging Public Security Minister Jacques Dupuis with Jean-Marc Fournier.
Still, Charest took responsibility and admitted mea culpa.
"The buck stops here. I am the one responsible. I am premier, and I recognize that and I assume that," he told the crowd of the Liberal youth wing.
The weekend conference allowed young Liberals to propose measures to restore confidence, ranging from tighter control on fundraising to a re-evaluation of the way the government awards contracts. While Charest said some of the ideas were worth consideration, he again steered the conversation to the debate in the Assembly.
"None of us comes out winners in this environment, not even the media. Not you, not Mme. Marois, not me, no one. Let's turn this around so that we can talk about issues, then Quebecers will be better served."
The National Assembly resumes Sept. 21.
