Prime Minister François Legault on Friday ended a parliamentary session marked by crises and decisions that “disappoint Quebecers” but took the trouble to emphasize his intention to remain in office “a long time”.
“It’s way too early to talk about the next generation,” he told reporters.
The last session of Parliament was eventful for the CAQ troops and marked by difficulties and controversy.
“When you are prime minister, when you are in government, you have to make decisions. And sometimes certain decisions disappoint Quebecers, as Mr. Legault recognized in reviewing the past few months. I live with it, I know it’s part of my job, it’s not always easy. »
Among other controversies, the digital transformation of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec embarrassed Ministers Geneviève Guilbault and Éric Caire in March.
In May, the Caquistes proposed increasing MPs’ salaries by 30%. The bill, passed Tuesday, will make elected officials in Quebec the highest-paid officials in the province. That same month, Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette also fueled the controversy by appointing a personal friend as a judge at the Quebec Court.
The third link
However, the climax of this difficult session came when the government abandoned its project for a motorway tunnel between Quebec and Lévis and replaced it with a public transport project.
“It’s the kind of situation that has disappointed MPs, that has disappointed citizens,” the prime minister admitted. A Léger poll measured the effect: voting intentions for the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) rose from 40% to 36% between February and May. In Quebec and the South Coast, the Parti Québécois took advantage of the CAQ’s discontent.
In a bid to keep hope alive, Mr Legault reminded on Friday that his government would reassess “every five years” whether the decline in the number of trips due to teleworking still justified their decision.
Although the reversal in the third group caused a stir in his group, the Prime Minister assured that the ranks are still close. “The atmosphere in the caucus is excellent,” he assured.
“I have fun”
Despite the difficulties, the prime minister has no intention of yielding to the next. He himself touched on the topic when he spoke about the development of the lithium-ion battery sector.
“For that reason alone I can assume that I’ll stay for a long time, because I’m interested in business,” he said. Mr Legault said he wanted to seize the opportunity to “decarbonize Quebec and narrow our wealth gap with our neighbors”. “And it’s extraordinary,” he said.
The CAQ chief reiterated that he was in good shape, “playing tennis” and enjoying his duties. “No,” he replied when a journalist asked him if he had ever thought about his successor at the helm of the CAQ. Beside him, Geneviève Guilbault and Simon Jolin-Barrette frowned and laughed as the parliamentary press referred to Ms Guilbault’s prime minister’s ambitions.
“I’m just telling you that at the moment I’m enjoying it because, among other things, we’re working on the two subjects that interest me, the economy and French savings. That’s why I intend to stay for a long time to work there,” warned the chief captain. In 2011, François Legault pledged to step down from power after a single term if he ever becomes head of state.
The prime minister hailed his government’s “strong gesture” of requiring all economic immigrants to speak French. “About identity, […] Even though I’m no longer in the Parti Québécois and I’m defending our nation and our language, I haven’t changed an iota,” he said.
Dreaming aloud, he recalled, “One day, far away, I’ll be sitting in my rocking chair and saying to myself: It’s our government that stopped the decline of French and turned it the other way.”
“Very caquistist” reforms
Mr Legault described the health and education reforms his government has enacted as “very Kaquistian”. “These are bills that will allow us to have more efficient networks,” he said. ” How ? By making sure we set goals for local leaders and track the results. And when the results aren’t good, [les dirigeants] will be forced to give up their place,” he added, drawing inspiration from “the basic principles of good management”.
He then referred to the “resistance” to these bills. Public servants have the right to strike in September, he reminded. “That’s why I said to all MPs: ‘Rest this summer, it’s going to be a hot autumn.’ »
In addition to the political controversies, the government also had to contend with a series of natural disasters. The ice storm and its power outages, the floods in Baie-Saint-Paul and then the wildfires mobilized the CAQ troops.
In all these upheavals, Mr. Legault has once again recognized the effects of climate change. “As for fear or environmental anxiety, we’ve known each other for a while, I’m a little concerned. I always feel like it’s not going fast enough,” he said.
Mr. Legault offered his thoughts on the effort he is calling for from local authorities calling for a $2 billion climate change adaptation fund.
“Municipalities pay their employees 35% more than our employees in the Quebec government,” he said. There also needs to be some control of spending in local governments and more of the budget dedicated to climate change adaptation. »