Published at 1:54 am. Updated at 5:00 am.
(Saint-Prime) We leave the Principale street in Saint-Prime, where trucks loaded with logs drive. We find ourselves on crescent-shaped streets lined with anonymous bungalows.
The former prime minister of Quebec, also anonymous, lives in this village of 2,760 inhabitants in Lac-Saint-Jean.
My photographer colleague Edouard Plante-Fréchette arrived before me. He texts me: “Are you sure this is the right address? »
This is not his idea of a house owned by a former prime minister and ex-neurosurgeon.
Philippe Couillard welcomes us. After much hesitation, he agreed to give us an interview that had been rare since his election defeat five years ago.
In the kitchen, his wife, Suzanne Pilote, began baking cakes for Christmas. She offers me the softest cream sugar, and I go with Citizen Couillard into the basement, in the middle of his libraries.
“People strangely think I’m rich. Some people even say, “It can’t be!” There must be something hidden.” But no. »
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
Philippe Couillard in front of Lake Saint-Jean in the village of Saint-Prime
Yes, he made a very good living: he was a neurosurgeon, including spending five years in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s – especially because he was no longer a tax resident in Canada. “But many adventures happen in life [comprendre : un divorce]. And I consciously gave up my job in 2003 to devote myself to public service. I'm not complaining at all, I live very comfortably, but I can't believe what I'm hearing, it's almost mean. »
It's something of a paradox: the person widely considered the least nationalist prime minister in recent history is also the only one who has settled in the region. Not in Chicoutimi. In a village in Lac-Saint-Jean.
From 2003 to 2008 he was Minister of Health under Jean Charest. After retiring from politics for the first time, he moved to his wife's homeland, Roberval, in 2009. He wanted to present himself in this supposedly sovereigntist region when he became leader of the Liberal Party in 2014.
“When I told them I was running in Roberval, people at the party said to me: ‘Are you crazy?’ But the job of prime minister begins with that of deputy. People saw the sincerity with which I advanced the issues here. »
He was elected in 2014 with 55% of the vote and re-elected four years later with a majority of 5,000 votes, despite his party's debacle against the CAQ. In his farewell speech, he expressed his pride in having been “a regional prime minister living in a rural area with farmers, foresters and entrepreneurs and close to an indigenous community.”
“Many explain your defeat by your indifference to the national question, to the situation in France…”
—What is nationalism? “I have always defended Quebec's interests and fought battles with the federal government when necessary,” he replies, somewhat piqued.
For me, nationalism is a projection of Quebec's excellence throughout the world. When I see people, creators and companies succeeding here, it fills me with pride, and that is exactly what nationalism is.
Philippe Couillard, former premier of Quebec
The decline of French?
“There is a problem with the way we measure the famous decline of French. It's a bit like choosing the indicator that will ensure we show a decline. If you take the language spoken at home as an indicator, it is inevitable that it will always decline, regardless of government or laws, because immigration is greater and the birth rate of French speakers is low – which does not mean that these people do not speak French in public spaces. The proportion of people who speak French remains very high. »
I ask him if it isn't precisely this intellectual analysis that gives the impression that he doesn't care about the state of the French language. That as Premier of Quebec we must show concern and constant vigilance.
“It was there, the alertness. But you also need to adopt a confident attitude. We are not weak people, not oppressed people. Having experienced everything we have experienced over the centuries, we have a very strong culture, a language that is better than before, although we need to continue working on the quality. This is no reason to build walls and limit greetings. »
“In politics, however, perception matters…”
— People will say that… people think that… it will make me more popular if I say this… That's not my style. I go there with my personal beliefs and values, otherwise I feel me not well. The French in Quebec will always be under tension, which is inevitable, and we must study the indicators. Yes, it's cerebral, but at some point you have to explain things. As long as you choose this indicator, the so-called decline will continue inexorably. Is this a reason to take even stricter and tougher measures? That is the question we have to ask ourselves,” says the resident of a 99% French-speaking region.
My children speak French, my grandchildren speak French, my great-grandchildren will speak French and their children will speak French. I belong to the school of self-confidence, not the school of defeatism.
Philippe Couillard
“In all nationalist movements the dream is of cultural homogeneity; It is the nostalgia of the bygone era that will not return, and we act as if it can return, as if Quebecers are all descendants of the settlers of New France. The definition needs to be much broader. »
When we ask him who his favorite authors are, we are not surprised that he names Amin Maalouf, the academic author in particular of “Murderous Identities,” whom he quoted in his farewell speech five years ago, so to speak, in response to identity-based nationalism: “For everyone For society and for humanity as a whole, the fate of minorities is not one issue among others; Along with the fate of women, it is one of the surest indicators of moral progress or regression. »
“Quebec was better in 2018 than 2014”
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
The former prime minister believes he left public finances in excellent shape: “Quebec was better in several ways, not just public finances and the economy. »
The Liberal Party did not recover from the 2018 defeat and reached an all-time low in the following election. Given the low support among Francophones, the party looks like a species on the verge of political extinction.
“I don’t believe in his disappearance,” the former leader said. The PLQ has existed for 150 years and as long as it is based on well-known, well-expressed values, it will remain. It's not the first time he's experienced a solar eclipse that lasts for years. The historical prime minister I admire most is Adélard Godbout. When he lost to Duplessis in 1944, it took 16 years for the party to return to power. »
Godbout was also accused of defending Quebec too lukewarmly.
“We say this because he accepted that Quebec took part in the Second World War; He was one of those who rightly said that Quebec could not withdraw from this important struggle for civilization but must become involved. This was not appreciated by the spiritual elite of the time. That's why I admire him; he took bold positions that were objectively and objectively necessary, but politically not easy. It is much easier to say: This is the English war, we are not dealing with it. But it was the war of everyone, of the entire civilization. In one mandate he founded Hydro-Québec, granted women the right to vote and, among other things, set the minimum wage. But he campaigned with a…different style of politics. I was a bit like me. »
He has rarely appeared in public spaces, considering that “the greatest gift a former prime minister can give his successors is to remain generally silent.” There are enough people to offer comments, advice, etc. “.
But since I asked him the question…
“This government has done things well. I have seen the battery strategy first hand [il a dirigé brièvement un projet]It was planned and carried out very methodically and professionally.
Quebec needed to become something other than just a buyer of batteries to participate in the industrial chain. We must stop being a people that only exports its raw natural wealth.
Philippe Couillard
He also admits to being “jealous” of the unilateral amendment to the constitution through Law 96, which includes the recognition of the “nation of Quebec” and French as an official language.
“I said to the people around me in Quebec: I'm tired of asking the rest of Canada to recognize me as a Quebecer and finding a way to do it unilaterally.” I came up with the idea of a constitution with Benoit Pelletier Quebec, but it seemed to me that we were in a twist and there was a risk of failure. »
Apart from the reservations expressed in the letter from the six former prime ministers, he is in favor of the Dubé reform. “There is a trend towards simplifying and integrating missions. The idea of Santé Québec is a good one. But it's like a rubber band: every time you move the decision center away from where the service is provided, the rubber band stretches, and you have no way of knowing where it will break. We've already filmed a lot with Gaétan [Barrette]…”
How does he analyze this defeat five years later? He had “walked into an election of change: no matter what you say, voters will change the government.”
Does he regret cutting government spending so sharply and so quickly? We're still talking about the public sector job cuts under his leadership.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
Philippe Couillard denies having cut government spending, insisting he has slowed spending growth but not reduced it.
“The impression of austerity was reinforced by propaganda measures,” he said. He insists he has slowed but not reduced the growth of government spending. He therefore rejects the adjective “strict”. After the interview, he sent me a study by tax expert Luc Godbout, who analyzes the concept of “austerity” in detail and concludes that in Quebec “the most important austerity measures occurred in 1982, 1987 and 1995-1997.” However, the researcher adds that “2015,” the second year of the Couillard government, “showed the characteristics of a period of fiscal restraint or austerity.”
In any case, he doesn't regret his budget policy. “If we in Quebec cannot accept this, it is very worrying for the future. Because there are always times when we have spent too much, too quickly, and that forces us to fix it all later. It is part of a government's responsibility.
Mr. Legault has been blessed by the gods! Entering government with billions of dollars has never happened, and I'm not sure it will happen again. I don't think he believed it himself. Normally we come to the government and complain about the state of public finances.
Philippe Couillard
“I'm not saying it was trivial, but I want people to take a second look. I would do the same thing again, and fortunately we did, otherwise Quebec would have been plunged into the pandemic without the slightest margin of maneuver. »
“Quebec was better in 2018 than 2014. It was better in several ways, not just in terms of public finances and the economy. Waiting times in an emergency, fighting poverty, culture. There was progress in all areas. The wealth gap with Ontario changed from 2014 to 2015. »
“I believe in federalism”
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
Philippe Couillard believes the federal system is the right way to move Quebec forward.
Does he regret not having sufficiently distanced himself from the Charest years, which were incriminated by the Charbonneau Commission for corruption and collusion? The time when Liberal ministers had to raise $100,000 in donations.
“These are practices that were widespread across all parties. The disadvantage was the amount of money in circulation. But it was perfectly fine to reduce donations to $100 [instaurée sous le Parti québécois en 2013]. For me this solved the problem for the most part. With the 2011 law and the Charbonneau Commission, the situation began to improve. The perception annoys me a little because my government was impeccable on this point, but that's part of the historical baggage. »
He rejects the idea that it is necessary to break off relations with Charest-era politicians. When he also ousted Sam Hamad and lost the constituency, “that was the beginning of de-escalation.”
Although he compares the collapse of the PLQ to that of 1944, the fact remains that when the CAQ weakens, the electorate turns not to the Liberals but to the PQ.
“I expected the rise of the PQ. The CAQ says, “OK, we're not going to be federalist or sovereigntist.” I never thought it would be possible. There are certain issues that require you to be on one side or the other of the fence and not sit on the frost fence while the spikes hold you in place.
“In a tone of constant government demands, the question always comes up: And if Ottawa says no, what do you do? Not easy.
— But to a Federalist it is no more obvious…
— Well, I believe in federalism. Not through any kind of religious worship. Simply because I believe that the federal system is the right way to move Quebec forward. Yes, looking at GDP, Quebec could function as a country, although we would have many years of misery, painful adjustments would be necessary. But that's not the problem for me. It is the type of citizenship that underlies federalism that fascinates me. This requires bundling and shared use. This is the reason for my loyalty. »
From this we can see from a distance the sort of re-establishment of the PLQ that is underway without a leader. For him, he says, the party must return to the values that characterize it: adhering to federalism, through choice and not through commitment or stopgap, and defending individual freedoms.
The defeat was difficult to bear, he admits.
They put their heart and soul into this for four and a half years… We had a remarkable track record. I would have liked to continue. The transition was abrupt.
Philippe Couillard
“But I understood that it was a long-term deal. You are the tenant of this function, you are not the owner. I wouldn't have served more than two terms. Suzanne also quickly took me on a trip. It took me out of the industry, I stopped reading the comments, it did me good. We walked all over Europe and saw Quebecers saying to me: “You look good, we're happy to see you, we all voted for you!” I said to my wife: “There's something wrong, I should come back and ask for a recount…”
He laughs.
“I really enjoyed doing politics, a little less,” he summarizes.
After quitting for 20 years, neurosurgery could no longer be resumed like cycling, so he was briefly employed as a consultant at Dentons law firm. He left the company to become one of the managers of British Volt, which was supposed to build a battery factory in Bécancour, but the project failed and the company went bankrupt.
Today, at 66, he is a consultant for StrategyCorp, a Canadian consulting firm. He sits on the board of digital health and the board of an electric boat propulsion company – Vision Marine.
He goes for REM scans two to three times a day to see how his baby is doing. Otherwise, the biography of Alexander von Humboldt, a bit of grouse hunting or fly fishing interest him infinitely more than social evenings. Additionally, some in the PLQ complained about the reclusive life and lack of a real network or antenna in Montreal.
The people of Montreal need to understand the energy it takes to keep a region alive and thriving. Regional files are never at the top of the pile in government. It takes someone to raise them. Tundra greenhouses [à Saint-Félicien], I'm the one who put them on top of the pile. Also the new courthouse in Roberval. We are just one county among others in Quebec.
Philippe Couillard
“I said I wouldn’t sacrifice jobs for caribou. Not that I don't like caribou, but I like forest families. If we restrict access to the forest without finding an alternative solution, communities will close.
“I am an optimist. We have reason to be very proud of what we have achieved together in Quebec. Do we sometimes have reason to be angry about public services? Yes, but we often forget to measure the progress made. »
We come up from the basement. Suzanne Pilote packed me cream sugar and cake for the trip. As I drive away, I see Citizen Couillard shrinking in my rearview mirror. He quietly walks towards the community mailbox on this quiet street in a quiet village. Maybe there will be mail.