Opposition parties itching to reopen National Assembly and ask questions of CAQ government

QUEBEC CITY -- The three opposition parties are impatient to resume parliamentary work, a month after the National Assembly closed due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Tuesday, the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), Quebec Solidaire (QS) and the Parti Quebecois (PQ) leaders increased pressure on the Legault CAQ government to hold four periods of virtual and public exchanges starting next week to address, among other things, the situation in long-term care facilities.

The official resumption of work in the National Assembly, which was scheduled for April 21, will likely be postponed to May 5.

In an interview with The Canadian Press on Tuesday, the PQ's house leader and René-Lévesque MNA Martin Ouellet said he reacted negatively to Premier François Legault's comments that the government is too busy managing the health crisis to respond to opposition issues.

Avec @GNadeauDubois et @marc_tanguay, j’ai envoyé ce soir cette lettre au leader du gouvernement, @SJB_CAQ. Nous lui tendons la main et lui proposons une formule virtuelle permettant de relancer le débat parlementaire. Notre démocratie le mérite.#polqc pic.twitter.com/jy8ytYRECX

— Martin Ouellet (@MartinOuellet_) April 14, 2020

Legault also said the day before at a news conference that if the opposition parties had questions for him, they could go through journalists who would ask them for them.

“We found it a bit mind-boggling for our duties on the one hand, and especially disrespectful of the work of the oppositions and the work of accountability which is our role as legislators, '' said Ouellet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2020.

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  PQ MNA Martin Ouellet would like the government to resume sitting so the opposition parties in the National Assembly can do their jobs. SOURCE Facebook