PQ caucus rallies around Lisée after PKP rumblings
With the shadow of former leader Pierre Karl Péladeau hovering in the air, Parti Québécois MNAs Wednesday rallied around Jean-François Lisée, saying he is still the right man for the job.
And Lisée himself was struggling to get the PQ back on track, unleashing a blistering attack on Coalition Avenir Québec Leader François Legault, calling him a “charlatan,” and a danger to the future of public services.
As PQ MNAs arrived here for a two-day party caucus, they were inundated by reporters’ questions after Péladeau’s headline-making radio interview Tuesday, in which he left the door open to a possible political comeback.
The official line was that Péladeau is welcome, but nobody was gushing about the former leader who has gone back to running the Quebecor media empire. Nobody dared suggest he replace Lisée as leader either.
Some went so far as to impose conditions Péladeau would have to accept before returning to the fold.
“The membership gave a clear mandate to Mr. Lisée,” said Taillon MNA Diane Lamarre. “They elected him democratically and then he got a clear mandate at the convention. I think we need to respect these views.
“Jean-François is doing good work, he’s working the ridings.”
“All progressive elements are welcome in the PQ,” added the PQ caucus dean, François Gendron, who supported Alexandre Cloutier, not Péladeau, in the last two PQ leadership races.
“What matters is putting the accent on social democracy.”
“The troops are behind Mr. Lisée because he is our leader, he was elected by the great majority. He is mine as well. The leader of the PQ for the next election is JeanFrançois Lisée.”
“We always knew he (Péladeau) would return, we always knew he had not abandoned the cause,” said Pointe-aux-Trembles MNA Nicole Léger. “How can he contribute? That remains to be seen.”
“I woke up this morning not thinking about Pierre Karl,” said Bourget MNA Maka Kotto, who supported Péladeau for the leadership. “You are the people (in the media) talking about him.”
In his interview with Radio-Canada Tuesday, Péladeau touched off speculation when he said: “Je suis en réserve de la république.”
On Tuesday, Lisée said Péladeau would be welcome back, but by Wednesday Lisée appeared anxious to get the PQ focused on the election ahead.
“I thought you were going to talk to me about François Legault, who fell flat on his face three times yesterday,” Lisée told reporters.
He downplayed the idea Péladeau had cast a shadow over his leadership.
“I will let you speculate about this,” Lisée said. “Pierre Karl came to the convention to signify his support for his leader. There’s nothing else (behind this), there’s nothing else.”
Lisée later announced that former PQ MNA for the riding of Vachon, Camil Bouchard, would now be acting as an adviser on family issues.