(Victoriaville) The Parti Québécois is the only party capable of “repairing what is broken” in Quebec, believes Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who took aim at his political adversaries and the federalists who “will seek to sow fear” to harm independence.
Posted at 5:14 p.m.
The leader of the Parti Québécois went on the attack on Sunday in front of a crowd of some 500 jubilant delegates and supporters. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon mobilized the troops gathered at the National Council in Victoriaville by presenting a speech with an electoral flavor, affirming that his party is “building the best team for the 2026 elections”.
“It’s time to repair what’s been broken [au Québec] and only the Parti Québécois is able to do this work, which is very important. It is only the Parti Québécois that is capable of forming this government that Quebecers need so much,” said Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon.
Presenting himself as the only option, the PQ leader attacked each of his adversaries in his speech, starting with the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) whose “main competence […] is mastery of the art of communications.”
“René Lévesque had something very interesting, he called it: geniuses of façade competence,” said chef Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
“The neither-nor CAQist, that is to say the kind of way of saying that we are not federalist, that we are not independentist, basically, it gave political nothingness in the framework in which we do not make progress on what matters to us. I think we gave the CAQ enough of a chance. I think we gave François Legault enough chance,” he added, to thunderous applause.
Solidarity in Quebec? “They are too caught up in their ideological dogmatism to which Quebecers do not adhere,” said Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon. The Liberal Party of Quebec has not escaped this even though it is “a party increasingly detached from Quebec” and “indifferent towards French-speakers” and which has become “officially the branch of the Liberal Party of Canada “, he said.
Since his election in 2022, the leadership style of Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who wants to do politics differently by not falling into partisan politics, pleases the population.
At a press briefing, the main person concerned also denied having released his claws. “If we hear my speech in full, it is based on the constructive character of the Parti Québécois, in many areas […] there is no prohibition on mentioning other parties. Everyone has the right to their five seconds, one line per party, but nothing more,” he said. “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration. »
Warning against federalists
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon called on activists to “remain upright despite everything that is coming.” The latter was referring to federalists “who will seek to sow fear” to harm the independence project.
“It’s coming more and more, we see it, it’s started,” he said while the Parti Québécois has been leading the polls for a year.
They are the agents of a system, they are the agents of a regime. This regime has been in place for more than 50 years and they will do everything to maintain their individual achievements and the status quo of this regime.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of the Parti Québécois
In mid-October, the PQ leader notably denounced a “fear campaign from the No camp” while renowned economists and the former senator and president of the political committee of the PLQ, André Pratte, signed a critical analysis of the year 1 budget.
Exit Santé Québec?
A government led by Paul St-Pierre Plamondon would also consider shutting down Santé Québec. The leader of the Parti Québécois believes that the future state corporation serves as a “screen” for the CAQ to carry out “dirty work” such as cutting a billion in health spending.
“Everything is on the table on our side,” said the PQ leader as his party’s National Council begins this Sunday in Victoriaville. The event is also held under the theme Beyond health structural reforms.
The Parti Québécois committed Sunday to putting prevention back at the forefront to improve the health of Quebecers and reduce pressure on the network. We also want to develop a strategy to reduce the phenomenon of overprescription among young people in particular.
“We must collectively stop stuffing our children, our teenagers and our elders with pills at the slightest opportunity, at the slightest burst of energy, at the slightest insomnia problem. And it’s not to be against modern medicine, it’s simply to make the observation that treating with drugs is one thing, achieving the health of our people is something else.” said Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon.
The details of this strategy have not yet been revealed.
For pro-choice candidates
The National Youth Committee managed to have a topical proposal adopted – that is to say tabled on the same day of the National Council – so that the Parti Québécois candidacies commission be mandated to ensure that future candidates who will represent the PQ colors “are pro-choice individuals who support the right to abortion”. This applies to the next partial elections and the general elections. The proposal provoked debate as some activists felt that it was self-evident and that we should not begin to establish a list of criteria corresponding to PQ values. The proposal was ultimately adopted by a majority.
