Couillard says his government’s ethics record is solid, plans to challenge critics directly in 2017
QUEBEC When he said his government “literally saved Quebec,” he meant to say it saved Quebec from financial disaster, Premier Philippe Couillard said Friday, clarifying a remark that has earned him nothing but disdain.
But Couillard grew testy when asked about a barrage of opposition criticism describing his twoyear-old regime as in its last throes, ethically bankrupt, uncaring and Couillard personally in need of a “long rest.”
“Give me examples,” Couillard said when asked about the year that was. “Give me examples. Let’s be precise.
“Are you talking about ethical things? Name me one thing, one event since 2013. I won’t take the whole history (of previous Liberal governments) on my shoulders.”
Asked how he is going to dig the government out of the hole the opposition says it is in, Couillard pledged to go toe-to-toe with his critics in 2017. “We have to answer directly and immediately,” Couillard said. “The problem with lies is if you let them stick, they become truths for people.”
Couillard’s remarks reflect the government’s official line that its poor image is a matter of optics and it is not getting a fair shake in the media even today now that it has decided to open the spending tap.
Liberal insiders note recent allegations of corruption in the management of government buildings by the Société immobilière du Québec relate to events 10 years ago, but they failed to get that message to the voters.
As the National Assembly held its final session Friday before the Christmas break, it was under the shadow of a closure motion to force the adoption of Bill 106, which the opposition considers pro-oil.
Québec solidaire MNA Manon Massé joined an all-night environmental vigil on the grounds of the legislature as a protest, but the energy bill was expected to be forced into law some time Saturday morning after a special all-night sitting.
Left hanging in limbo is Bill 62, the government’s state neutrality bill, but Bill 87, the province’s legislation to protect whistleblowers, was adopted.
All afternoon, however, the chatter in the hallways focused on where Couillard will turn next to jump-start his government. The most obvious tool in Couillard’s tickle trunk is a cabinet shuffle — primarily to install Châteauguay MNA Pierre Moreau now that he has recovered from an illness, but also to bring in fresh blood including newly elected Verdun MNA Isabelle Melançon.
The second part of the strategy is to prorogue the legislature, which means work would be discontinued without dissolving the house, allowing Couillard to deliver another inaugural address setting out a fresh vision. “Not necessarily, maybe yes, maybe no,” was Couillard’s response at his end-ofsession news conference.
Finally, Quebec is trying to sprinkle Christmas cheer. Sitting on a $1.7-billion surplus, in the last two weeks the government has announced $100 million to unclog emergency wards, $175.2 million over four years for justice, $65 million for long-term care homes, including better food like coq au vin personally taste-tested by Health Minister Gaétan Barrette.
In the meantime, Couillard dealt with an immediate problem Friday, which is the bad press he got for saying earlier this week that the Liberal government “literally saved Quebec” by setting in motion budget cuts.
“A more complete statement would be that we saved Quebec from financial disaster,” Couillard said. “This I can say because the facts are there, the facts are indubitable.”
He challenged his opponents to explain how they would have handled the nearly $7-billion deficit the Liberals say they found when they took power in 2014.
The three opposition parties, pumped by their recent byelection wins, were not buying any of Couillard’s explanations, with Parti Québécois Leader Jean-François Lisée unleashing a blistering attack at an earlier news conference.
Running down a list of gaffes, Lisée said ominously: “This year the Liberals have crossed the point of no return. They have definitely lost the confidence of the people.”
He called on Couillard — whom he says has never displayed any concerns or regrets for the spending reductions he imposed — to personally apologize for saying cuts would not hurt anyone when they in fact did sting. “He needs a long rest to try to reconnect with the Quebec reality,” Lisée said.
Québec solidaire MNA Amir Khadir dove in too, saying the Liberals are operating on dirty money, while Coalition Avenir Québec Leader François Legault said he’s planning to act like a government in waiting in 2017.
“When Philippe Couillard starts thinking he’s the saviour of Quebec, we have a problem,” Legault said. He called Couillard’s re-boot plan all smoke and mirrors.
“How many times is he going to start over? It’s a worn-out, wornout, worn-out government.”
Thinking ahead to 2018, Legault said the next election will be “historic” because it’s the first time in many years that the campaign will not be focused exclusively on the federalism-sovereignty debate, and that bodes well for the CAQ.