Almost as soon as it was announced, CAQ leader Francois Legault vowed to pull the plug on the 4.3 per-cent Hydro Quebec rate increase announced Tuesday.
“I think it's unacceptable and I say if we are in government on April 7, we will retroactively adjust these increases at the rate of inflation,” said Legault.
The future coalitionist was campaigning in St. Hyacinthe, a riding his party won by 1,900 votes over the PQ in 2012.
Legault was also basking in some polls which suggest that his party has made some moderate gains at the expense of both the Liberals and PQ.
He attributed the surge in popularity to his party's focus on money.
“We're talking about the economy and that's the reason of the existence of the coalition. So I'm happy to see that we're talking about the right priorities and it's helping the CAQ. I hope the trend continues until April the seventh,” he said.
Nathalie Roy, the party's candidate in the South Shore riding of Montarville, said that many voters are open to the CAQ message of change.
“It makes no sense what's going on! For 40 years now, all we see is ‘Yes, no, yes no...PQ, PLQ, PQ, PLQ...’ It's going nowhere,” said Roy.
Roy has a message for anglophones who are skeptical about the party.
“At the Coalition Avenir Quebec, we don't want any referendum. We are against a referendum. It's important to say it and to repeat it to the Anglophone community because they don't know it, because Mr. Couillard is not being honest on our position.”
When asked about a report concerning PQ fundraising issues that dominated much of the day, Legault said that he was willing to give the PQ the benefit of the doubt regarding the allegations.
While he called the allegations "very serious," Legault said he is ready to accept the denials at face value.
