Liberal hopefuls reaffirm their faith in federalism
Contenders discuss permanent corruption commission and equalization transfers
QUEBEC — In the second of five debates Sunday, contenders to succeed Jean Charest as leader of the Quebec Liberal Party reaffirmed their faith in Canadian federalism in a largely good-natured exchange.
Philippe Couillard, the former health minister, whom polls suggest has a comfortable lead, avoided controversy, speaking in favour of the “solidarity and co-operation” of the Quebec model, while calling for the eventual recognition of Quebec’s “specificity” in the Canadian Constitution.
Pierre Moreau, who is trailing in the race, threw out new ideas, calling for making the Charbonneau Commission into corruption permanent, and proposing National Assembly hearings to ratify nominations, such as that of former Parti Québécois leader André Boisclair, named Quebec’s representative in New York.
Couillard suggested this could lead to witch hunts, while Raymond Bachand, finance minister in the Charest cabinet, called Boisclair a “good candidate.”
Couillard suggested the delay by Charest in naming the Charbonneau Commission, “became bigger than the corruption issue,” as the opposition parties pummeled the former premier daily on his refusal.
Couillard said it was “a bit like the student crisis, where management of the crisis became a bigger issue of division than the tuition fees.”
“In that sense I think Quebec would have benefited from a quicker calling of the commission,” he said.
Bachand, who is a distant second to Couillard, was more aggressive, saying in a scrum with reporters after the debate that the former health minister was “very theoretical” and dismissing Moreau’s idea of a permanent anti-corruption commission as “very premature.”
“I can renew the Liberal party membership and attract more members across the province,” Bachand said.
In his opening remarks, Bachand admitted he served as a political aide in the PQ government of René Lévesque.
But he has changed and Quebec has changed for the better since that time, Bachand said.
“And you know what? We did so in Canada.”
Bachand said he is driven by the quest for greater prosper-
“I can renew the party membership and attract more members.”
RAYMOND BACHAND
ity for Quebec and will defend federalism with “passion.”
Moreau said Quebec should make common cause with the other provinces to reduce the federal spending power, which successive Quebec governments have complained squeezes provincial powers.
Couillard said he realizes no one wakes up in the night because Quebec did not sign the 1982 Constitution, but said it is an issue the Liberals cannot ignore.
“We cannot stay in a no man’s land where on one side the separatists tell us we have to let go of our Canadian citizenship, which I am convinced never will a majority of Quebecers do,” he said.
“And (on the) other hand people who say it’s not important. Nobody cares about that.
I don’t agree. People do care about this.”
He proposed a “conversation” where Quebecers would define what that specificity means before making a proposal to the rest of Canada.
Couillard and Bachand agreed the next challenge facing Quebec within the federation is the renewal of federal health and equalization transfers in 2014.
The debate Sunday also dealt with governance and ethics, with Bachand calling for a new code of ethics for the Quebec Liberal Party and more contested candidate nominations.