CAQ will ‘never’ hold vote on sovereignty: Legault
François Legault moved away from the West Island decades ago, but he still considers it home.
The leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec grew up in Ste-Annede-Bellevue before launching a business career that saw him co-found Air Transat in 1986. He later jumped into provincial politics where he became a rising star in the Parti Québécois. But a disillusioned Legault left the PQ in 2009, and two years later formed the CAQ, a right-centre political party that has formally shelved the contentious sovereignty option that has dominated Quebec politics for nearly half a century.
On Saturday, Legault made a campaign stop at the Marché de L’Ouest in Dollard-des- Ormeaux, accompanied by local CAQ candidate Laura Azéroual, where he spoke with shoppers in both French and English, and candidly answered questions about his PQ past, his CAQ present, and what he would do if elected Quebec’s next premier.
Although the CAQ, a nationalist mix of former sovereigntists and federalists, is leading the polls two months out from the Oct. 1 provincial election, Legault realizes the CAQ faces an uphill battle in the traditional Liberal strongholds of western Montreal. But Legault, now 61, hopes federalist voters can get over his PQ past.
“I’m from the West Island so I care about the people from the West Island,” he said.
“This will be first election in the last 50 years where the ballot question won’t be about the sovereignty of Quebec. It will be about who has the best proposals on the economy, education and health care.
“It’s about time we put all Quebecers together — anglophones, francophones — and work to be richer. And stop talking about the constitutional issues.”
He also reiterated his party’s stance to remain in Canada, but will be asking for additional powers from Ottawa in areas such as language and immigration.
“We’ll request some additional powers from the federal government but there’s no time frame. It can be in the first mandate or second mandate,” he said.
“But never, never will a CAQ government hold a referendum on the sovereignty of Quebec. So that’s quite clear.”
Legault said the CAQ, a coalition of former Liberals and Parti Québécois, will focus on Quebec’s economy. He is asking Liberal voters in the West Island to give the CAQ a chance.
“People here, like elsewhere, are a bit fed up with the Liberals after 15 years. They are unhappy with (the) situation at the Lakeshore hospital (ER), and they are unhappy with the tax burden. I think they want to try something else than the Liberals.
“But of course, most people in West Island are against the sovereignty of Quebec. Since 50 years, they didn’t have any choices. They were taken for granted by the Liberals, so now, they have an alternative in the CAQ.”
Legault was asked if he felt comfortable calling himself a federalist.
“I don’t like that (term). I prefer to say that I’m nationalist. It’s Quebec first. So if I have (a) choice of having a headquarters in Toronto or in Montreal, I prefer Montreal.
“So Quebec first, but clearly within Canada.”