The Parti Quebecois would support a Quebec referendum on immigration
The Parti Québécois (PQ) says it would stand by the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) if a sectoral referendum on immigration were to be held.
On Tuesday, Premier François Legault threatened to hold a referendum on immigration if negotiations with Justin Trudeau's federal government are not concluded by June 30.
PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is asking Legault to commit to holding a referendum if he does not obtain full powers on immigration at the end of this meeting with the Canadian prime minister.
"If, for the umpteenth time, the door closes in François Legault's face, let him call a referendum on the repatriation of full powers in immigration, in which case I will be at his side," he said at a news briefing on Wednesday at the Quebec legislature.
The PQ leader was nevertheless keen to point out that this was not the path he was considering, since he wants to leave the Canadian federation altogether.
"If I have a federalist Quebec government that hesitates between lying on the ground and having the door shut in its face without doing anything or taking some action that at least allows the people to be heard, I'll take the second option, but knowing that it's not what I dream of for Quebec," he added.
The Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), for its part, denounced the CAQ government's strategy.
"François Legault has powers on immigration," said interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay. "He should start by applying them effectively. If we want to move the Canadian federation forward, we can't build relationships of trust by threatening referendums.
"The PQ bickering has become the CAQ bickering and now I hear Paul St-Pierre Plamondon saying: 'Well yes, I'm going to back you François. We're going to do our referendum together.' It's the PQ, it's bickering and it's zero results."
Quebec solidaire (QS) said it also wanted full powers over immigration but would not say whether it would campaign alongside the government in a possible referendum.
"We're not at that stage at all. We are asking (François Legault) to get down to work and use all the powers he has at his disposal," explained QS MNA Christine Labrie. "We're in favour of having full powers in immigration. Do we need a referendum for that? Let's start by using the powers we have."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 10, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Concerns about Plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglass barriers.
Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges
Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Construction begins on LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa
Shovels have hit the ground for constuction on Canada's LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa.
B.C. man awarded $5,000 in damages in first-of-it-kind intimate image case
In a first-of-its-kind case, a B.C. tribunal has ruled on a dispute involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, awarding damages and issuing orders that the photos be destroyed and taken offline.