Despite 'adversity' in polls, sovereignty remains key for Parti Quebecois
The Parti Québécois (PQ) must maintain Quebec independence as a central tenant of their party going into the October election, even if it faces “adversity” in the polls, according to party head Paul St-Pierre-Plamondon.
The PQ leader spoke Saturday morning in front of supporters gathered for the party's national council meeting in Boucherville, Que.
“We don't back down, we don't deviate, we don't apologize, we don't change our minds. We are going to fight,” he said during the event at the Mortagne hotel. His speech was met with a standing ovation.
He repeated that the only way to move Quebec forward is through sovereignty and that sovereignty is a “necessary and urgent” matter.
“As long as we refuse, if only for a moment, to mention the word ‘independence,’ the truth is that Quebec will have no bargaining power,” he said.
“Quebec will only get refusals from Ottawa, and Quebec will unfortunately be condemned to linguistic and cultural decline.”
Recent polls suggest the PQ is sitting on 8 per cent support from Quebecers. By contrast, Francois Legault’s Coalition avenir du Québec (CAQ) is still in the lead, for its part, with 46% of support.
PQ MNA Joël Arsenau is nevertheless optimistic.
‘The only thing that is certain with the polls is that they will change,” he told reporters before the event. “We will not be able to give the keys to parliament to 125 CAQ deputies. It's not going to happen.”
-- This article was first published by The Canadian Press in French on May 28, 2022, with the financial support of the Meta Fellowships and The Canadian Press for News.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.