Legault says he wants to be ‘economic premier’
SHAWINIGAN Coalition Avenir Québec Leader François Legault plunged into the election campaign Sunday, pledging to be the “economic premier.”
And he has urged his candidates to not take the bait when the party’s opponents attack using negative advertising, pledging the CAQ will run a positive campaign focused on the needs of regular folk.
One day after Premier Philippe Couillard announced the campaign leading to the Oct. 1 general election will start Aug. 23, the CAQ organized a show of strength in the Trois-Rivières region, which will be hotly contested.
Of the 97 candidates announced bytheCAQ,93werepresentfor Legault’s launch, standing on a stage under the broiling sun while Legault cranked out a speech.
It was an unusual scene. Aside from the candidates, there were almost no CAQ rank-and-file members on hand to hear the speech. Party officials said they had not been invited.
The launch was held in a park on the shores of the St. Maurice River as hikers and kayakers walked by, barely paying attention to the political event unfolding.
“I want to tell you one thing,” Legault said off the top of his speech, which was in French only. “All Quebec ridings are winnable, and we will try to win in all the regions.
“Today, we have a chance to make history. We have the chance to turn the page on 15 long Liberal years.
“You are in the field like me. You sense there is a wind of change blowing across all Quebec. But heed this warning: we must deserve the confidence of Quebecers, and we must deserve it by ignoring the negative campaigns of our opponents.”
A millionaire former airline executive, Legault played up his business background and asked Quebecers to think about who they believe is best equipped to manage the province’s economy and the government.
Estimating Quebec’s total budget represents about $18,000 per citizen, Legault said, “Ask yourself this question: if you had to hand over $18,000 to someone to manage, who would you have confidence in?
“I am an entrepreneur and what I am offering is to be an economic premier.”
Hydro is a key part of the CAQ’s vision. Legault said Quebec can do better at exporting its hydro surpluses at a profit. If elected, Legault said, he will sell hydro power aggressively, particularly in the northeast United States markets.
He sided with Hydro-Québec president Éric Martel in a feud with the Couillard government over the latter’s decision to back the creation of a wind turbine project in the Côte-Nord region.
Martel recently decided to buck the government and said the project is not viable and not necessary, given Quebec’s hydro surpluses. On Sunday, Legault said he would not sign the contract putting the project in motion.
While Legault concedes Quebec’s unemployment rate is at its lowest in years, Quebec needs to create more quality jobs, he said — ones that pay $30 to $40 an hour.
At a news conference following his speech, Legault addressed the issue of the 39-day campaign the Liberal government announced Saturday.
He said he does not believe it will hurt his party, even though some Liberals hope it provides more opportunities for him to trip up. Legault said it gives him more time to sell the CAQ’s ideas.
“The more time we have, the happier I am,” he said, noting the biggest dangers the CAQ faces in this kind of campaign are overconfidence and his team showing a lack of cohesion.
The party enters the campaign leading in the polls.
But Legault avoided giving detailed answers to other questions, such as how far he would trim the Quebec bureaucracy if elected or if he will attend an October meeting of the francophonie if he becomes premier.
Even though he said he believes the CAQ can make inroads in all ridings in Quebec, including Montreal’s West Island, he offered nothing in particular to the English-speaking community except his often repeated pledge to not hold a referendum.
He defended his decision to deliver his remarks in French only, saying not many people in Shawinigan speak English and adding that Quebec’s official language is French.
“I think most anglophones agree with Bill 101,” Legault said. “What they want to be sure of is there won’t be any referendum on the sovereignty of Quebec.
“Like francophones, anglophones want better jobs, less taxes, more efficient services. That’s what we offer.”
CAQ candidates — including some running in Montreal ridings with significant minority populations — later gathered for an election planning session at a nearby hotel.
“You should see the energy that’s out there,” said Christopher Skeete, the CAQ candidate in the Laval riding of Ste-Rose, stopping to talk to the Montreal Gazette. “I think François Legault said it best when he said you feel that undercurrent of change in the air.”
“I know it’s a tough riding,” said Alice Khalil, the CAQ candidate in the ethnically diverse riding of Chomedey, a Liberal stronghold. “But the responses I’m getting are all positive. Every time I knock on a door, they’re happy to see us.”