Liberals, CAQ take pre-election shots
Rival conventions set stage for two-way battle for anglo votes
The lines are being drawn for the next election, and it’s promising to be a battle of ideas and promises, left and right visions, pro and less-pro immigration policies.
If that sounds like a regular election, similar to those in the other provinces, it is.
As the rival Liberal and Coalition Avenir Québec parties wrapped up duelling weekend policy events, both were selling themselves as the best ‘good government’ option now that the boilerplate issue of sovereignty versus federalism has slipped off the radar.
And if your ears were burning, there’s good reason. The nonfrancophone vote has suddenly become a hot commodity in the new political landscape.
While 1,400 Liberals gathered in Quebec City ushered in a series of pro English-speaking community resolutions, CAQ Leader François Legault was in Sherbrooke with his troops.
He returned to his you-havea-choice theme for the Englishspeaking community because the CAQ favours an in-Canada future for Quebec.
“For the first time in a long time, you will finally be free to vote for a vision, for a party that works for you and your family,” Legault said. “The CAQ is now a clear choice for you.”
Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard pounced, and that’s after his new party president, Antoine Atallah, cut into Legault, describing him in English as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” in a speech accepting his nomination.
“How can you justify saying that for you separation is not important and not be able to utter a good word about Canada,” Couillard asked at a news conference wrapping up the convention. “Not being in front of a Canadian flag when you speak, never saying that you love Canadian citizenship?
“That doesn’t work. The beauty of all of this is people will have to state clearly who they are, what they believe in. What are the values of the CAQ? I don’t know.”
That was only the beginning of the new battle for Quebec, which the two parties are indulging in well away from the moribund Parti Québécois. Gird yourselves for more razzle-dazzle during the next 10 months (309 days) before the October election.
And here we are not just talking about the fact both Couillard and Legault were seen dancing in the halls with delegates over the weekend. They also want to out-tango each other with ideas.
Take the issue of families. Legault said if elected, the CAQ will remove financial obstacles to having kids. Under the current rules, the Quebec government’s tax credit is highest for a first child. The CAQ says to compensate for demographic losses and help preserve Quebec’s identity, it would give recurrent amounts to families with more kids.
“I was stunned when I heard Mr. Legault propose this,” Couillard said at his news conference. “That idea dates back a century. What’s the next step? Are the CAQ’s parish priests going to do the rounds to see if mothers have a child on the way as happened in the old days?”
The Liberals take a different approach. They say they would step up efforts to make family life easier by encouraging companies to give employees more personal days to be with the ones they love, and that includes an ailing parent, sister or brother.
On the other hand, the CAQ says it cares about seniors more than the Liberals and would offer a third bath a week to residents of public convalescent homes. The current average is two.
Where the two parties are really miles apart is on the question of immigration.
While the CAQ says Quebec should cut the current number of new arrivals from 50,000 to 40,000
a year to properly integrate them, the Liberals say Quebec desperately needs more because of the province’s labour shortages.
“Any politician who proposes to reduce immigration is hurting the economic interests of Quebec,” Couillard said in his closing speech.
Couillard also slammed the CAQ for not having a plan to fight poverty, except to say job creation will trickle down to the less fortunate.
And, of course, both parties are selling themselves as the best agents of change that, as was seen in the recent municipal election campaign, Quebecers crave.
But a sure sign the election is in the air came Sunday when Couillard announced a big-ticket vision for the campaign — a sort of equivalent to former leader Jean Charest’s Plan Nord, Robert Bourassa’s hydro dams and Legault’s Plan StLaurent.
Couillard said he would like to see a new high-speed transit link between Montreal and Quebec, which would cost billions. He said it will be up to someone out there to cook up the plan that, in his mind, is not necessarily a highspeed train or a monorail, although the monorail is not excluded.
He appealed to Quebecers to “use their imagination” and come up with a plan.
Throughout the weekend, the Liberals were in a surprisingly good mood despite their slip into second place in polls. The party’s 150th anniversary dinner party drew 900 people.
While considered controversial, former leader Jean Charest’s presence and speech Saturday evening galvanized the troops.
Couillard poured on the rhetoric, even recycling a quote from great statesman Nelson Mandela for his own political needs.
“The impossible is what has not yet been done,” Couillard said in his speech as the crowd banged thundersticks and music blared.
“My friends, there is a battle ahead,” Couillard said. “It will contrast a vision of Quebec with the division of Quebec. It will oppose a new Quebec and fake change which is nothing but using past ideas.
“Quebecers prefer optimism over pessimism. Hope over doubt. Unity over division. We will win this battle, riding by riding, region by region, all together.”
Are the CAQ’s parish priests going to do the rounds to see if mothers have a child on the way as happened in the old days?