Liberals borrow from CAQ’s plan in bid for votes
Couillard and Legault spar over who is best able to lead Quebec
It is one of the oldest tricks in the political playbook.
You spot a good idea cooked up by your opponent and make it your own at the same time as insisting you had been thinking about proposing the same thing for months.
And the latest example in what can only be called the game of “Grand Theft Idea” happened Tuesday, when Liberal Finance Minister Carlos Leitão tabled the province’s fall economic update.
Front and centre was an idea the Coalition Avenir Québec has been pushing for years: a middle-class tax cut. And, by pure coincidence, the Liberals propose the cut be the exact same amount as the CAQ said it would impose if it took power: $1,000 for people with revenues under $150,000.
Leitão also grabbed hold of another CAQ scheme bound to be popular with voters. He announced the government will give the parents of school-age children $100 per child to cover the costs of school supplies.
The similarities escaped nobody and sparked a hilarious exchange Tuesday in the legislature between Premier Philippe Couillard and CAQ Leader François Legault during question period.
“Yes, I’m in a good mood today,” Legault said smiling at Couillard. “At last he has seen the light. I just want to say, simply put, bravo.”
Taken aback, Couillard — who often accuses Legault of being grinch-like in his vision of the world — could only say thanks.
“I really didn’t expect this,” Couillard said. “In fact, Mr. Speaker, I am dumbfounded.”
A day later, the jocularity had evaporated and Couillard and Legault were back at each other’s throats, which has become the trend in the last few weeks.
This time Legault enraged the premier by asking if he is happy the Quebec he leads is considered poor enough to receive $11 billion in equalization payments in the Canadian federation. The CAQ would make such payments disappear, he said.
Couillard’s rebuttal was scathing, with him announcing Legault’s free ride in public opinion, his habit of “changing his opinion three times a day,” will soon be exposed to the voters and spell his political demise.
“From now on, we will respond to everything he says,” Couillard said. “To his every word there will be contradiction and facts. All his errors will be mentioned.”
Off mike, Legault is heard saying sarcastically, ‘Oh, I’m scared.’ ”
“Yes, Mr. Speaker, he (Legault) should be worried because we will find out what’s behind the curtain. We will show people what the leader of the second opposition is really like.”
But it’s this kind of verbal fisticuffs you can expect in the remaining 10 months to the general election in October 2018. The reasons are clear.
The two parties are neck-andneck in the polls, leaving pundits to believe the real election war will be between the Liberals, peddling experience and responsible management, and the CAQ, offering renewal and change.
And without the usual sovereignty-federalism debate to polarize the vote, the parties have to come up with juicy new policies to differentiate themselves.
“Our program is more than only those tax cuts,” Legault told reporters at his regular Wednesday news conference when asked about the Liberals raiding the CAQ’s pantry.
But it has become clear the Liberals have identified their enemy and the enemy is the CAQ, choosing to cross swords on its turf of simple populist ideas while largely ignoring the plight of the struggling Parti Québécois.
From Liberal cabinet minister to cabinet minister, the talking points are the same: the CAQ is a risky option that has never managed a place as complex as Quebec.
“I think Philippe Couillard is starting to panic,” Legault told reporters later in reference to the nasty exchange.
The war for votes is so intense the two parties deliberately scheduled major policy events the same weekend, Nov. 25-26. The Liberal policy convention is in Quebec, the CAQ meets in Sherbrooke.
The parties each blamed the other for picking the same date, which almost certainly will affect their media coverage.
The stakes are highest for the Liberals, with almost 15 years of ruling under their belts as they see the CAQ surging. The party is in damage control on several fronts, including within its traditional base of non-francophone voters who might be wooed by the CAQ now that it has proclaimed itself federalist.
The Liberals want to mend fences. One resolution to be debated by delegates at the convention calls on the government to give “greater consideration,” to the reality of English-speaking Quebecers when developing new legislative bills or regulations.
And Friday, just hours before the convention opens, the new Liberal minister responsible for the English-speaking community, Kathleen Weil, will announce the details of the government’s English-speaking secretariat promised last June by Couillard, who concedes relations could be better with the community.
“It’s like a mini-ministry but with a mandate within the government’s structure,” Weil said Wednesday.
The Liberals are pulling out all the stops to stir up Liberal pride. Saturday will feature an evening to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the party. Invited guests include former Liberal leaders Jean Charest and Daniel Johnson, both of whom remain very popular in the party and will be given time to address the crowd of 1,500.
From now on, we will respond to everything he says. To his every word there will be contradiction and facts.