Conservative leader Eric Duhaime wants to debate in English even without the Premier Legault
"Absentees are always wrong," said the Quebec Conservative Party (CPQ), which is inviting Liberal leader Dominique Anglade to participate in an English-language debate during the upcoming election campaign even if Premier Francois Legault refuses to attend.
According to CPQ leader Éric Duhaime, Quebec's English-speaking community deserves to have its own debate to address the issues that are important to it, including health, education and language issues.
The English-language media consortium decided on Friday to cancel its debate scheduled for Sept. 20 because of the withdrawal of Legault and Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
The consortium said that without the presence of all the major parties, it would be impossible to present a "fair and informative" debate.
But according to Duhaime, it is not up to the English-speaking population to pay for the choice of certain parties. He believes that the parties who wish to do so should have the opportunity to debate in English.
At least one English-language media outlet told the Conservative leader that it would be willing to hold an English-language debate without the CAQ leader, but that at least the leader of the Liberal Party would have to participate.
If Anglade agrees to participate, the organizers would be prepared to make further invitations to all parties, including the PQ and the CAQ, if they wish to reconsider their initial decision.
On Friday, Legault's press secretary said that preparing for debates takes a lot of time, and that the premier had already committed to cross swords with the other leaders on TVA and Radio-Canada in French.
Duhaime disagreed with this argument, saying that after preparing for two debates, the additional time required to prepare for the English debate would not be so substantial.
Instead, he accused the premier of wanting to limit the debates in the run-up to an election in which he is heavily favoured. Duhaime added that Legault participated in an English-language debate during the 2018 election campaign.
According to the PCQ leader, the opposition parties could even benefit from the absence of Legault, since they would have more visibility, which they have had difficulty obtaining in recent years because of the pandemic.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 14, 2022
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.