CAQ has too much control over pandemic messaging: opposition
Democracy is hurting in Quebec as a result of the Coalition Avenir Québec government's tight control over COVID -19 messaging and the legislature, the opposition parties said Monday.
“Are we really in a democracy when the government has the full stage, all the time, when the government has what resembles a monopoly of the message?” Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-pierre Plamondon asked.
St-pierre Plamondon said the opposition is willing to make compromises given the pandemic, but he said he can't remember a time where a government was spending such “astronomical” amounts on advertising how it is fighting the pandemic.
“And by definition (such advertising) is a form of propaganda,” he said. “When you have an unlimited propaganda budget to implant certain ideas in the heads of the population, and the opposition parties don't even have a forum to question certain aspects of the management of the pandemic, well, we have a democracy that is clearly weakened.”
“It's absolutely critical for us to actually have a democracy that's alive and well, and that we can have a forum where we can ask questions — that we are in an environment where they (in government) are held accountable for the decisions they make,” added Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade.
“What I want is the resumption of work (in the legislature) as soon as possible.”
The two were reacting to the possibility the CAQ government will postpone the resumption of work at the legislature or have it sit only in a virtual format to be consistent with its requests that Quebecers work from home where possible.
In theory, the house is to resume sitting Feb. 2.
The CAQ house leader, Simon Jolin-barrette, is in talks with the other leaders to decide how to proceed.
While willing to compromise and allow virtual committee meetings, Anglade said it would be “illusory” to think MNAS could not sit in person for moments like question period. MNAS, including cabinet ministers, to some degree, need to be physically present, she said.
Anglade also returned to her standing request that the government launch a full independent and public inquiry into the pandemic, including an examination of the government's decision-making.
“At the beginning, the government did not know better,” Anglade said. “But at the end of the day things that happened in the first wave happened in the second wave.”
The government says it's sufficient that Quebec's health care commissioner, Caroline Castonguay, has been appointed to conduct an investigation of the health care system's handling of the crisis.
Anglade, however, said she met with Castonguay last Friday and “the thing which came out loud and clear for me is that she will not answer the questions that we need to have answered.”
Anglade said she also wants to ask the government questions on its post-pandemic plans for Quebec's economy.
St-pierre Plamondon noted that limiting access to politicians also limits journalists from asking questions.
“A real democracy is when journalists have many occasions to ask questions and when the opposition has space to put in play ideas or new questions,” St-pierre Plamondon said.