MONTREAL - Liberal Party leader Philippe Couillard says that his party plans to participate in the upcoming debate over the proposed Quebec Charter of Values in a constructive way.

Couillard said in an interview that his party has already created a policy on the issue, which it will unveil shortly.

He said that the Liberals came to that policy by setting up a committee of MNAs, experts and activists several months ago.

Their mission was to define the party’s position on the issue of Quebec values, which the minority Parti Quebecois government has raised in recent weeks.

But Couillard's comments Sunday suggest that the Liberals will not support the bill.

"We have, probably, no problem having people wearing religious signs when they work for government or walk around this is not the way most societies in the world operate now," said Couillard Sunday.

The minority PQ government intends to introduce legislation to pass their Quebec Charter of Values as soon as September.

The PQ government would reportedly like to ban burqas, turbans, hijabs, yarmulkes, and crosses in any public office, including courts, police stations, hospitals, or government offices. Staff members in public schools, including large daycares, CEGEPs and universities would fall under the same rules, while those in private schools and family-run daycares would be exempt.

Couillard has previously indicated that the Liberals would not support any legislation that divides Quebecers. He repeated in a recent interview that his party’s top priority remains the economy and job creation.

He also criticized the PQ for leaking their plans to media in a series of trial balloons. He said that a formal announcement would have been preferable, especially considering that the justice minister is handling the dossier.

The PQ would require support from either the Liberals or the CAQ to pass the legislation.

CAQ leader Francois Legault is expected to hold a press conference Monday to unveil its position on the values charter.

Legault had previously suggested that his party would likely vote against the initiative.

Tax reform needed

Couillard made his comments at the end of what was billed as the Ideas Forum, a non-partisan brainstorming session on policy that took place this weekend at Champlain College on the south shore.

Judging from Couillard's closing remarks, no major changes are on the horizon for the Liberal Party, as the leader once again said that his priority was improving the economy and lowering unemployment.

He said that the provincial government should offer more incentives for all people - including seniors - to get into the workplace.

He also stressed the importance of easing the burden on middle class taxpayers.

Couillard said that tax reform remains a central component of his agenda and said it’s time to put aside the “replace piecemeal adjustments with a broader vision on taxes."

He said that he’d like the Ideas Forum to become an annual event and said that he would like to see significant involvement in the discussions from both employers and labour organizations.

The organizer of the event said that he hoped the meeting would promote new approaches.

"There’s a poverty of thought in the political party and the result is in society people don't talk about the common good, they talk about one cause at a time,” said event organizer Jean-Francois Garneau, who appears most worried about the aging of the population. “We're getting old, increased costs of social services, and the only way to fight it is we need to be more productive,” he said.

-With a file from The Canadian Press