(Quebec) The Parti Québécois (PQ) is calling on Prime Minister François Legault to “get his act together” and reshuffle his Council of Ministers.
Posted at 3:45 p.m.
Caroline Plante The Canadian Press
The PQ MP in Matane-Matapédia, Pascal Bérubé, made the proposal on Wednesday, a day after Mr. Legault’s surprise decision to revive the idea of a third Quebec-Lévis highway link.
Mr Bérubé sees this as an example of “irregular” management of state files. “If we look at what’s happening […] In day-to-day decisions, we do not know where this government is going, it is unpredictable,” he told a press conference.
A ministerial reshuffle would have the advantage of identifying problems and offering solutions, he argued, without clearly saying which minister should lose his portfolio.
“When we talk about pulling ourselves together, part of it is looking at the team and asking ourselves, ‘Do we have the best people in the best places to make sure we get results for Quebecers?'”
“We talked a lot about the places where it was problematic. So I will deliberately not name any names, but I will say that we are at the point where a ministerial reshuffle is taking place that will allow us to set priorities better.
“It’s about how we set daily priorities. We are really worried,” the PQ representative added.
The decision to cancel the third connection project follows the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ)’s crushing defeat by the PQ on Monday night in the race for Jean-Talon in Quebec.
PQ candidate Pascal Paradis received 44% of the vote compared to 21% for his rival, the CAQ Marie-Anik Shoiry.
Legault-PSPP clash
On Wednesday, Mr Legault went on the attack during a tough exchange at the Salon Bleu with PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, accusing the PQ of avoiding promoting Article 1 of its election manifesto in Jean-Talon.
“Everyone noticed that he didn’t talk about Quebec sovereignty last month, especially not in Jean-Talon. He also postponed the presentation of the finances of a sovereign Quebec,” he charged.
The presentation of the PQ’s “first year budget” has been postponed to October 23rd. However, Mr. Legault did not hesitate to express doubts about the PQ’s ability to compensate for the 13 billion that Quebec receives annually in compensation.
“Did he talk about this, the leader of the Parti Québécois, in Jean-Talon? “Not at all,” he said after explaining that Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon was “poorly placed” to talk about “strategy.”
“We remember the leadership race,” he said. “I will talk about sovereignty every day.” We haven’t heard it once in Jean-Talon,” scoffed Mr. Legault, who also supported the PQ’s position on the Quebec City tram project criticized.
“One day maybe not, it costs too much, we don’t know. And yesterday he told us, no, no, no, I never questioned the tram,” he emphasized.