Buoyed by a historic victory in Jean-Talon and the addition of a fourth MP to the National Assembly, the PQ must remain humble, says Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
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“We are a party of public service and therefore by definition we strive to be strict and humble,” the Parti Québécois leader said Saturday at the opening of the National Council, attended by around 400 activists.
Not long ago, the party went through a difficult time, recalls PSPP.
“If things are going very well, we must not allow ourselves to be distracted from our actual goals, namely to have a positive influence on society and to really help people.” We are not there yet, we will achieve it, but we “We still have a lot to do,” he emphasized in the press crowd. A few minutes later he was greeted by activists with thunderous applause to the sound of Loco Locass’ anthem to Quebec.
Several PQ supporters present in Saint-Hyacinthe this weekend also see him as a savior. “These words turn to gold, everything he says turns to gold,” says Isabelle Létourneau, Notre Dame de Grâce activist, seen in the hallways of the convention center. As evidence, she takes the PQ’s overwhelming victory in Jean-Talon, which the PSPP had predicted. As was the oath to the king that National Assembly members were required to take, which was abolished last year after PQ elected officials ignored their oath.
Sovereignty and disruption?
With the publication of the annual budget for a sovereign Quebec, the PQ leader predicted an economic jump after a victorious referendum. In 2005, Pauline Marois expected, on the contrary, “five years of upheaval”.
Now she says it was “a little over the top” on her part. “Quebec is stronger than ever. We are fully employed and have fantastic investment tools. We also have the experience of the 1995 referendum [Jacques] Parizeau, who, as we will remember, planned to have sufficient liquidity to precisely avoid disruptions in the markets,” emphasized the former Prime Minister, who was guest of honor of the PQ National Council.
In addition, Ms. Marois changed her mind on the issue of a Quebec currency in a sovereign Quebec. She considers PSPP’s position to be interesting. “He suggests taking a different path that would basically avoid a lot of debates with the Bank of Canada and tensions,” she agreed.
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