TERREBONNE – Faced with the return of Donald Trump to the American presidency, Alberta and Ontario are behaving more autonomously than Quebec, finds the PQ leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who criticizes François Legault for lacking leadership .
While President Trump threatens to impose 25% tariffs against Canada, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith already appear to be negotiating over-the-counter with the American president, observed the leader of the Parti Québécois Tuesday afternoon.
The leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, during a press scrum in Terrebonne, alongside his candidate for the upcoming by-election, Catherine Gentilcore, and the MP for Jean-Talon, Pascal Paradis .
Photo MARC-ANDRÉ GAGNON
François Legault, for his part, seeks to be reassuring, notes Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon. “But what Quebecers need right now is not to be reassured: it is to show leadership with a game plan, a vision that is clear in relation to our businesses,” declared the member for Camille-Laurin during a press scrum in Terrebonne, where his party’s pre-sessional caucus is taking place until Thursday.
In the current context with the United States, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon put aside the partisan activities in which he was to participate on Tuesday in view of the upcoming by-election in the constituency left vacant by Pierre Fitzgibbon to analyze the decrees signed Monday by Donald Trump and better think about proposals to protect Quebec businesses. However, he considers it premature to deploy financial assistance programs like those offered during the pandemic.
-Avoid tariffs
“The mission of the Quebec government at the moment is […] to avoid tariffs [du président Trump]», believes the leader of the PQ.
“I am not worried about our ability in Quebec to adapt to difficult situations or negotiations with the United States,” argued Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon.
The leader of the Parti Québécois took the opportunity to reject the argument put forward by his liberal counterpart Marc Tanguay according to which the context with the United States could harm sovereignty.
“In this logic, we would have to be four hundred million, then all be Americans,” responded PSPP.
“What I have noticed over the last few days is Canadian provinces that don’t give a damn about Canadian unity and are doing their own thing,” considers the leader of the PQ.
