Premier’s speech tiptoes past landmines

Non-aggressive address outlines 2-year horizon

QUEBEC — Now comes the hard part.

In her first inaugural address as Quebec’s new premier — the moment where a government outlines its “vision thing,” Pauline Marois tried to walk the fine line between what the Parti Québécois would like to do if it was really in control and what is actually possible.

And Marois’s theme leaped out of the 21-page speech: try to not wake up the lions dozing in the compound.

“We are going to govern for all,” she said diplomatically off the top of a speech which — at least in its non-aggressive tone — recognizes the government’s fragile minority status.

Among the more controversial themes the PQ campaigned on that went by the wayside are the citizeninitiated referendums which could have allowed a group of Quebecers to kick-start their own referendum lottery.

And Marois went for “the big stall,” on the hotly contested secular charter and Quebec citizenship ideas too. That has all been downgraded to public consultations to find “the right balance.”

The PQ will vaguely “go as far as possible,” to promote French by tabling a new Charter of the French Language, Marois said, but there was not a peep in the hour-long speech about preventing francophones and allophones from attending English CEGEPs.

Marois later brushed aside the omission, saying the speech was a general outline of the PQ’s intentions.

“I did not withdraw it,” Marois told Radio-Canada. “I said we would table a new Charter of the French Language … and it could also include the CEGEPs. It’s not excluded, on the contrary. It’s foreseen, for the moment.”

On the identity question, Marois denied backpeddling, insisting it would be “commendable,” if the government were able to rally more support for a secular charter, which seems to suggest the Pandora’s Box will gather dust on some shelf.

“I think not provoking is a wise thing in a society where I manage a minority government,” Marois said stating the obvious after her speech.

She ventured that her speech covers a two-year horizon.

As for sovereignty, it’s mentioned in the speech but the language was hardly the sabre-rattling of the old PQ guard. Jacques Parizeau was known for his zingers on such occasions when all of Quebec is watching. Even Robert Bourassa used tougher language.

“We have decided to adopt a constructive, yet firm approach,” (toward Ottawa),” Marois said using a line any Liberal premier could have used without batting an eye.

The only thing specific is that Quebec will try and open negotiations with Ottawa to repatriate cultural spending. Marois even plans to attend meetings of the Council of the Federation, an institution for- mer premier Jean Charest helped found, which means making nice with the other premiers.

Still, Marois insisted, “Quebec has everything to gain by becoming a country.”She acknowledged the problem.

“Quebecers remain divided on the national question,” Marois said. “But the idea that Quebec should stand up for itself and defend its interests rallies the great majority of us.” And with that she moved on. Marois again reached out to worried anglophones.

“History shows that us that the

“We are going to govern for all.”

PREMIER PAULINE MAROIS

anglophone community constitutes an important part of who we are,” she said, in French. “My government will thus continue to protect the rights of members of this community, which is part of the Quebec nation.”

So while Marois avoided a lot of potential landmines, which means her government will live to see another day, she did have a Plan B in her pocket and that is the integrity theme.

Not only does it strike a chord with ordinary Quebecers disgusted by what they are seeing at the Charbonneau Commission, it’s a sure-fire vote-getter for Marois.

And remember, besides surviving, the ultimate goal of a minority government is to evolve into a majority and Marois knows the theme’s a winner.

“From now on it will be zero tolerance (on corruption),” Marois said taking credit for the PQ’s pestering the defeated Liberals for two whole years into calling the Charbonneau Commission.

The hush-up years are in the past, she said, the crooks are on the run and the commission has not even finished its work.

As one PQ cabinet ministers likes to say: Quebecers are anxious “to put some distance between money and politics,” so the PQ will run with the theme and is even thinking of fixing set terms for mayors of cities with over 5,000 citizens.

Not to be outdone by a government clearly trying to make itself look a cut above the rest, the Liberals and CAQ are preparing their own integrity offensives.

CAQ house leader Gérard Deltell, for example, plans to table legislation slapping a $4-million spending limit on elections. The big parties now spend over $12 million trying to woo Quebecers, which many believe has fuelled abuse of donor laws.

What that means is that even if the PQ, Liberals and CAQ are miles apart on many themes and neither the Liberals or CAQ alone have enough votes to bring down the government, it’s in their interest to have a look at the PQ government new Bill 1: the Integrity in Public Contracts Act. It will be tabled Thursday in the legislature.

And, like it or not, talking turkey is what minority government is all about.