Francois Legault meets Pierre Poilievre after 8 months
It took eight months after Pierre Poilievre won the Conservative leadership for him to meet with Quebec Premier François Legault.
By comparison, Legault met with his predecessor, Erin O'Toole, only three weeks after his victory as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
"This is a discussion that has been going on for some time. So we just found a time to meet," the premier explained before his meeting with Poilievre on Tuesday.
In the past, the premier seemed to want to keep his distance from the Conservative leader.
In the previous federal election in 2021, Legault suggested he would prefer to see a minority Conservative government elected.
On Tuesday before the meeting, Legault would not say whether he would call for a vote for Poilievre's Conservatives in the next election.
"I will start by meeting him. I will also see the positions of the different parties during the election campaign. It is much too early to answer this question," he said.
Before the meeting, Legault said he wanted to discuss the battery industry, Quebec's powers in immigration and the French language.
CONTRADICTION ON THIRD LINK
Poilievre is not blaming Legault for abandoning his third link project between Quebec City and Lévis.
Hours before he met with the Quebec premier, the Conservative leader said it was Justin Trudeau who "killed the third link" by refusing to fund the Quebec project. He accused the federal Liberals and the Bloc Québécois -- which he called "woke" for waging "a war on the car."
"It was Justin Trudeau who said the money wouldn't be available. So it was impossible for the Quebec government to build it without federal help," he said.
Asked about the issue, Legault contradicted Poilievre, saying Trudeau had no impact on the decision to end the third highway link.
"Mr. Poilievre said he will not try to convince him to reconsider his decision on the third link. Mr. Legault is capable of making his own decisions," he said.
The Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) is now proposing a tunnel between Quebec City and L/vis dedicated to public transit.
The Conservative leader has already said he would refuse to fund a third link project that excludes cars.
Poilievre will also meet with Quebec Conservative Party (QCP) leader Éric Duhaime on Tuesday evening. This is a private and informal meeting. The two men are friends and have known each other for a long time.
According to a well-informed source within the PCQ, Duhaime wants to talk about the third link, the place of Quebec in Canada and hydrocarbons.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 23, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
New Pentagon report on UFOs includes hundreds of new incidents but no evidence of aliens
The Pentagon's latest report on UFOs has revealed hundreds of new reports of unidentified and unexplained aerial phenomena but no indications suggesting an extraterrestrial origin.
Police release bodycam video of officer-involved incident at Hindu temple protest in Brampton, Ont.
Police say an officer who forcefully removed a 'weapon' from a protester outside of a Hindu temple in Brampton was acting 'within the lawful execution of his duties' after bystander video of the incident circulated widely online.
LIVE UPDATES Taylor Swift's motorcade has arrived at Rogers Centre ahead of first of 6 shows
Taylor Swift is in Toronto to perform her first of six sold-out shows at the Rogers Centre tonight.
Here's how a potential Canada Post strike may affect Canadians
A disruption in Canada Post services would hit some Canadians harder than others. As the deadline approaches for a potential strike at midnight Friday, CTVNews.ca asked readers how it would affect them and how they are preparing.
RCMP begins deploying body-worn cameras to frontline officers across Canada
Within days, thousands of frontline RCMP officers will be starting their shifts equipped with a body-worn camera, as the national police force begins deploying the program across Canada.
'Countless lives were at risk:' 8 charged, including teen wanted in deadly home invasion, after West Queen West gun battle
A teenage boy arrested along with more than 20 others following a gun battle in Toronto’s West Queen West neighbourhood was wanted in connection with a deadly home invasion in Etobicoke back in April, Toronto police say.
Jasper National Park to welcome campers back in 2025 at most campsites
Starting in January, people will be able to make online reservations for campsites for the 2025 season.
Scotiabank users facing 'intermittent' access to banking
Scotiabank users say they are having issues using their bank’s services following a scheduled maintenance period that ended days ago.
Everything is under US$20 at Amazon's newest store
Amazon is targeting retail rivals Shein, Temu and TikTok Shop with a new deeply discounted storefront that sells a wide array of products for US$20 or less.