Péladeau feels the heat in first PQ leadership debate

It happened on questions of sovereignty, on revising the labour code to ban scab workers and on his ownership of Québecor.

Parti Québécois leadership candidates put front- runner Pierre Karl Péladeau’s feet to the fire in a first debate Wednesday.

Their favourite themes? His past and his current habit of dealing with issues in the most superficial manner. But Péladeau was not particularly forthcoming.

“I don’t think it’s relevant that I talk about Québecor,” Péladeau said at one point as candidate Pierre Céré got off a nasty shot asking if the company Péladeau still owns had ever made use of tax havens to hide profits. “I am no longer at Québecor.” But the sparks really flew between Péladeau and candidate Bernard Drainville, who challenged him almost off the top of the debate to reveal what his plan would be if he can’t hold a referendum in a first mandate of a PQ government.

And he asked whether he would govern Quebec as a province in the event a referendum was not possible or use public money to promote sovereignty.

“I am positive, faced with this,” was Péladeau’s vague answer. He added that if elected PQ leader, he would create an institute to study the issue. “We have three years to convince Quebecers.”

“With respect, you have not really answered the question,” Drainville said. Péladeau got the same treatment later from candidate Martine Ouellet. She accused him of refusing to answer a question on the labour code.

“You are not answering me,” Ouellet said.

And so it went, as a debate that was supposed to focus on the economy and public finances veered repeatedly into other issues.

The tone was respectful, at time even jovial, and the crowd of 600 on hand at CEGEP Trois- Rivières lapped it up, applauding their favourites. Candidates Alexandre Cloutier and Céré even dispensed with the tradition of wearing ties.

But even if it was clear Péladeau would be the main punching bag, he kept his cool, getting off a few of his own good one- liners, but mostly dodging and weaving around tough questions.

“I would trade in my equalization cheques any day for freedom of choice,” Péladeau said at one point. “Count on me, we have everything we need to succeed ( as a country).”

Later, speaking to reporters after the debate, Péladeau defended his lack of answers, saying he wanted to use the debate to talk to party members.

He flatly denied the allegation Québecor used tax havens.

Drainville, however, told reporters later he was disappointed Péladeau didn’t answer the questions.

“Electing a leader does not mean handing him a blank cheque,” Drainville said. “I’m disappointed, but it is the members who must be disappointed.”

The debate, however, featured another switch. While Cloutier led the Péladeau attack at a previous debate at the Université de Montréal, he used kid gloves this time, tangling more with Drainville over their contrasting visions on referendum strategies.

Drainville says the PQ would work on the issue in the time leading to the 2018 general election and decide, as the election starts, whether it will hold a referendum.

Cloutier wants to first gather signatures from a million Quebecers to see if there is enough interest in a third referendum.

“We need to deal with Quebecers openly,” Cloutier said in the best toe- to- toe of the night. “I don’t want to wait until the eve of an election to answer them.”

Defending his petition insurance policy idea, he said: “We cannot afford another error.”

Péladeau, however, played his strong card in his opening statement, confidently saying he wants to to use his business past to help make Quebec an economic power.

“Quebec’s economy needs to be among the most productive in the world,” he said. “This is my objective.”

Drainville described himself as battle- tested and ready to go to war with the Liberals and other parties.

“If you want a leader who can weather the storms without ending up on his knees … I am your man.”