Legault pledges to work with Trudeau to advance `interests of Quebec'

Premier François Legault said he had no regrets about advising Quebecers that a minority Conservative government would be in their best interests, even after Monday's federal election put Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau back in power.

“You heard me defend the autonomy of the Quebec nation and I don't regret doing it, and I will continue to do it for the rest of my mandate,” Legault said at an afternoon news conference at the National Assembly in Quebec City. “Our mandate is to defend our jurisdictions and our values, our autonomy. I think that's the first responsibility of a premier.”

Monday night's results showed that any party seeking a majority in Canada needs the support of Quebec, Legault said, noting that the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois combined won more seats in the province than the Liberals. He said he didn't expect that expressing his views just prior to the election, and giving tacit support to the Conservative party, would hurt relations with the Liberal federal government.

Legault offered his congratulations Tuesday morning to Trudeau on his electoral victory, albeit in a terse, 17-word tweet.

“I congratulate Justin Trudeau on his victory,” the premier said on his Twitter account, which has more than 283,000 followers. “I will work with him to advance the interests of Quebec.”

Earlier this month, Legault said he would prefer to see a minority Conservative government.

“I already spoke to Mr. Trudeau (Tuesday morning) and there's nothing new,” he said. “He knows that I hate the conditions that he wants to put, for example, on our CHSLDS. He knows very well that I want him to respect Quebec jurisdiction. So there's nothing new, and nothing that was not said many times before.

“I expect we will continue like we did and I hope he sees the situation in Quebec, because in order to have a majority government you need more support in Quebec, and we saw last night that the Blue vote (Conservatives and Bloc Québécois combined) represents the majority.”

Legault said his first priority with Trudeau going forward will be increasing federal health transfer payments to the provinces.

Legault's wading into a federal election campaign whose outcome seemed far from certain raised eyebrows in political circles, particularly after Trudeau wooed Quebec voters with a $6-billion pledge of no-strings-attached daycare funding for the province while Erin O'toole of the Conservatives had instead offered a tax credit.

Asked whether most Quebecers' decision not to heed his call to support the Conservatives indicated a lack of support for him, Legault responded that in a campaign there are multiple topics of importance to electors that result in a wide range of voter choices.

“For me, it's autonomy that's important. But it's evident there are debates on other subjects,” he said. Siding with the Conservatives did not make him an “evil far-rightwinger,” he said, citing his stances on universal daycare, health care and education. “I'm more of an efficient leftist.”

More than an hour before Legault expressed his congratulations, Quebec Liberal Leader

The big loser is François Legault. He bet big and lost.

Dominique Anglade also posted her well wishes to Trudeau on Twitter, saying she hoped a “climate of collaboration” would move Quebec forward, while federal and provincial jurisdictions are respected.

However, Anglade took a swipe at Legault, saying he had “lost his bet and threatened all possibilities of fruitful collaboration with the federal government.”

Speaking to reporters afterward, Anglade said: “The big loser is François Legault. He bet big and lost. And in losing, he dragged all Quebecers with him.”

Anglade said she expects QuebecOttawa relations will now become “more complex” and it will be necessary to “rebuild bridges” with the federal government.

On Tuesday, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-pierre Plamondon also described Legault as the biggest loser on election night.

“François Legault decided … to tell Quebecers who to vote for, and Quebecers didn't listen,” said Stpierre Plamondon. “He said the (federal Liberal Party) was a dangerous party. So in what universe will we (now) realize any gain?

“He lost his bet by doubling down on the Conservatives.”

Québec solidaire house leader Gabriel Nadeau-dubois told reporters it was clear there had been no “Legault effect” in Monday's vote, observing that by taking sides in the election, the premier had “put his foot in it.”