The chief of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, praised the opening of Danielle Smith at the idea of a referendum on the sovereignty of Alberta from next year if a civic petition on this subject obtained enough signatures.
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The Prime Minister announced on Monday that although she would not herself undertake such an approach, she would respect the democratic process by asking the question to the Alberta people if it came from a popular movement respecting the provincial referendum rules, which have just been softened.
Tuesday morning, in the National Assembly, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon said he was in favor of such an approach by Alberta.
“Regardless of the referendum they will make, I totally agree with provinces that stand, which are loyal to their own parliament and who are able to create a balance of power,” he said. This is the keyword, the balance of power. “
“Here in Quebec, we have just spent a depressing seven years where we have not created any balance of power and we did not get any of the requests that we had sold on the coming of the CAQ,” he added. What a striking gesture to see Danielle Smith to make more in terms of autonomism and defense of her own province, on her own parliament, than François Legault during her entire mandate. ”
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon also presented the result of a light survey which places the yes 40% on the question of Quebec sovereignty after distribution of undecided.
-“We are 40% of independence support,” he said. So when we are told that it is an old subject, and that we have never seen such an impulse of Canadian unity, are we in the narrative or the information? ”
The PQ leader believes that if Alberta, “whose linguistic and cultural survival is not at stake”, can thus put forward his interests against Ottawa, Quebec can also do so.
“It’s a bit uncomfortable to see another province, and I know that we do not have the same subjects and the same positions, decide to address the government of Canada directly by saying” You do not respect our democracy, our financial choices and our priorities, and your abuse of power, I will respond to it with concrete gestures, and not small tapes on the corner of the table “, he argued.
“So much the better if other provinces are able to stand in front of the federalty and if other provinces, regardless of our differences of opinion with them, are able to respect their people by saying” I use you and I will ask questions and you will tell me what you think “,” he continued.
Danielle Smith presented her requests to the Carney government on Monday during a speech to the nation of about twenty minutes in which the question of sovereignty was put forward.
“If there was a citizen petition which obtained a sufficient number of signatures on this subject, asking that this question be subject to a referendum, our government would respect the democratic process and include it in the referendum ballot next year,” she said.
A little less than a week earlier, it had announced a relaxation of the rules to present a referendum petition, in particular reducing the number of signatures required by half, bringing it from 20 to 10% of the number of votes in the last provincial elections.
The deadline to obtain these signatures also increased from 90 to 120 days.
