QUEBEC CITY - One of the most miserable legislative sessions of Jean Charest's political life was dominated by doubt -- so he attempted Wednesday to flip the narrative on its head, to one of confidence.
Quebec's last session was all about fear: of overly accommodated minorities, the French language in decline, pervasive corruption, and concerns that tapping Quebec's natural gas resources might cause environmental havoc.
But the embattled premier prorogued that session this week and recalled the legislature with a policy-setting inaugural speech Wednesday that began and ended on notes of strident optimism.
Charest described the province as a potential world-beater in five priority areas: education, employment, the environment, natural resources and health care.
He promised a deal with Ottawa to proceed with offshore gas drilling and called his long-awaited northern development plan as ambitious as Quebec's great hydro projects of the 1960s and '70s.
But it's his promises on education that are likely to generate much of the attention. The premier announced that Grade 6 students in Quebec will spend half the year learning English.
That abrupt policy shift could stir a lively debate -- pitting Charest on the side of parents who want more bilingual schooling, against opponents who argue that use of French is already in decline.
But Charest, in keeping with the theme of his speech, said Quebecers have nothing to fear.
"Our language is our identity, it's our strength," he said. "Our language is an instrument of freedom," he added, earning a sustained ovation from his troops.
"There is no clash between the complete mastery of French and the learning of a second or third language.
"I am announcing that students in Grade 6 will spend one-half of their year learning English immersion. This approach will be progressively extended to all of Quebec over a five-year period."
The tone was set early on, when Charest opened his speech with references to the string of cultural successes Quebec has enjoyed on the international stage this year.
He mentioned the rock group Arcade Fire's win at the Grammy Awards, Celine Dion's success in Las Vegas, and the Oscar nomination of Denis Villeneuve's film, "Incendies."
Charest promised to create a fund that would help Quebec artists promote their work abroad. The premier had been an outspoken critic when, three years ago, the Harper government cut a similar program at the federal level.
But Charest was also singing a more positive tone when it came to relations with Ottawa.
His Liberal side applauded heartily when he promised to sign new agreements with Ottawa -- including one on natural-gas extraction in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Charest concluded his speech with an unapologetic defence of Quebec's place in Canada.
"One fact remains: Quebecers are the co-authors of the history of this country," he said. "Canada is at its best when Quebec influences its path.
"Ladies and gentlemen, dear Quebecers, this is how we intend to work to make Quebec a magnet and an inspiration for the rest of the world -- with our dynamism, our originality, and our confidence in our destiny."
The premier, now halfway through a five-year term, is deeply unpopular but has mused about running in the next election.
Some of his opponents openly scoff at the idea of a Charest comeback. Earlier this week one predicted the inaugural speech would be his "swan song."
The premier has seen his popularity take a beating over his refusal to call an inquiry into allegations of rampant corruption following scandals involving public officials, construction companies and crime groups like the Mafia.
And it is those very themes that Parti Quebecois Leader Pauline Marois chose to focus on in dismissing Charest's speech as one in which there was "no news."
"I don't think there was a whole lot in that speech," Marois said. "He announces things, but he doesn't deliver the merchandise in certain cases."
Marois decried Charest's continued refusal to call a public inquiry on the construction industry in spite of the fact that's what "the great majority" of Quebecers want. That same majority, Marois says, wants a moratorium on shale gas exploration, something Charest did not include in his speech either.
"He's admitted he hasn't been able to settle a single issue," she said, "and that he won't be able to going forward."
On Charest's plan to have Grade 6 students spend half the year, Marois was not totally opposed. In fact, she said it is something the PQ has in its own education policy.
"It's not a bad idea, we have the same one," she said. "But it won't be possible to implement this immediately, technically, because we don't have enough teachers."
Marois also feels the program should not apply universally to all students, saying that those who are already having difficulties in core subjects like French and math could be further hampered by the intensive introduction of English into the curriculum.
