Every child will have a GP, Legault promises
Legault says cuts to immigration levels could be adjusted in ‘two or three’ years
L’ASSOMPTION François Legault spent the day before the first leaders’ debate of the election in his own riding, making his “most important” campaign promise to date and continuing to clarify his stance on immigration.
Flanked by candidates, the Coalition Avenir Québec leader stopped by a daycare in L’Assomption Wednesday to deliver a twopronged promise: a CAQ government would invest more money in screening young children for developmental disorders and ensure every child in the province has a family doctor.
“To me, this is the most important announcement (of the campaign),” Legault said. “I would do politics just to put in place the measures we’re proposing today.”
Legault said a CAQ government would establish a process to “systematically ” evaluate Quebec children under five years old to identify any possible developmental disorders and ensure they receive the services they need as soon as possible.
The party would also guarantee every child in the province has access to a family doctor or pediatrician from birth.
The CAQ estimates there are 146,00 children under the age of five who don’t have a family doctor. The party believes the goal can be reached by spending $40 million a year during its first mandate.
Under the current system, the CAQ said, parents often wait up to six months to receive a proper diagnosis for their children from a CLSC and another six months before getting the services.
“It’s totally unacceptable for a modern society,” Legault said.
Lionel Carmant, a CAQ candidate in the Taillon riding and professor of neuroscience and pediatrics, said the goal is reachable by having each family doctor in the province take on 12 children as patients.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to, all the professional orders, have said the resources are there for the project,” Carmant said. “A lot of professionals who are in the private sector have been asking to help children in the public sector.”
Twenty-four hours before the first leaders’ debate of the election campaign, Legault continued to be dogged by questions about his stance on immigration — including his opinion on far-right, anti-immigration group La Meute.
In a question period with reporters, the CAQ leader said his party ’s suggested cuts on the number of immigrants entering Quebec — from 50,000 to 40,000 next year — could be adjusted in “two or three” years.
Legault has repeatedly said the reduction would be temporary but hadn’t yet specified a time frame.
“The Liberal failure right now is that there’s 58 per cent of new arrivals who don’t speak French, 26 per cent who leave Quebec and a 15 per cent unemployment rate among immigrants in their first five years,” Legault said. “I want those numbers to go down before increasing the number of immigrants.”
Legault’s explanations led to questions about La Meute. In an interview with the Journal de Québec, the group’s spokesperson said the CAQ and Parti Québécois are the two parties most in line with its political views.
Legault said he doesn’t support La Meute and doesn’t like the group’s message, calling it “on the verge of racism.”
“You can’t prevent a heart from loving,” he said, “but I would prefer it if they didn’t like me.”
Legault, who this week admitted to feeling a bit of pre-debate stress, said he chose to be in L’Assomption to rest up for Thursday night.
“I’m hoping to sleep well, try to be calm, and not look at my notes too much,” he said of his debate prep.
“I’ll be at home and try to recuperate all the hours of sleep I missed in the last few weeks.”