QUEBEC CITY – “Without scruples, Machiavellian for sure…”
Liberal Party leader Philippe Couillard wasn’t mincing words as he jumped into this week’s Quebec language and identity debate by attacking the Parti Quebecois’ reported plotted strategy to use the charter to fuel a referendum.
READ MORE: Marois would use notwithstanding clause to ensure charter of values’ survival
“We’re going to put it through the federal tribunals, it’s going to fail, we’re going to have a big fight and then we’ll go for a referendum,” he said on Monday.
“We’ve been suspecting this from the start. It’s one of the most cynical things I’ve seen done in Quebec politics.”
An unnamed PQ source told French newspaper La Presse that the party’s plan has been to win a majority government since that since 2007, adopt the secular charter, wait for it to be contested at the Supreme Court and then use it as leverage for a referendum. That same source explained media mogul Pierre Karl Peladeau has been involved in the scheme for years.
“The deliberate utilization of job discrimination in order to facilitate the path towards a referendum and Quebec separation. This is totally unacceptable. I’ve never seen something as despicable as this politically. I will not tolerate this, Quebecers will not accept it,” said Couillard.
Francophones could, indeed, be turning their backs on the PQ. A CROP poll commissioned for the Coalition Avenir Quebec shows the party gaining ground among francophone voters at the PQ’s expense.
“I’m very happy to see that people are looking for a change in Quebec,” said CAQ leader François Legault.
Watch: Extended interview with Francois Legault
PQ leader Pauline Marois denied the claims made by La Presse.
She told reporters that to make sure the charter does pass, she is willing to use the notwithstanding clause overriding sections of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“I don’t want this charter to just be a document that will end up in the trash if it is contested,” Marois said at a campaign stop in Trois-Rivières.
“In order to avoid that, we will look into this question, and if necessary we will proceed with the notwithstanding clause.”
READ MORE: Opinion: The insidious racism of the Quebec charter of values
Couillard maintained the PQ is creating an environment where xenophobia can flourish.
“The xenophobic elements of any society and our is no exception have felt that they’ve been given the right, in some way, to express themselves and that is deplorable,” he said.
It could be a long week for Couillard, whose defense of pluralism and bilingualism isnt’ always well accepted.
Quebecers vote on April 7.
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