The Liberals are committed to defending Quebec’s English-language universities and aiming to bring an end to the illegal funding scandals that have plagued the party in the past.
In a press briefing at the General Council of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) in Drummondville on Saturday morning, Marc Tanguay, the interim leader of that political party, took aim at the CAQ government, which wants to increase tuition fees for first-time Quebec students studying at an English-language school want to enroll at university in the province.
According to the Liberal Party (PLQ), the CAQ government’s decision is a frontal attack against the English-speaking community.
Prime Minister François Legault is a secret PQ who likes to divide and who has built his political career by dividing Quebecers, said Liberal leader Marc Tanguay, defending Anglophones and their universities.
He recalled that Mr Legault was a member of parliament and minister of the Parti Québécois (PQ) from 1998 to 2009 and that the PQ always regrets the fact that English-speaking universities have better funding than French-speaking ones.
For the Liberal leader, we will not promote French in Quebec by slapping the heads of students who come here to study in English.
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The Quebec Liberal Party believes it is time to expose the illegal funding scandals.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Guillaume Croteau-Langevin
Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry announced Friday that starting fall 2024, Canadian students will pay the equivalent of their education costs to the Quebec government, $17,000 instead of $8,992.
Foreign students must pay US$20,000.
This measure is aimed at new foreign students and students from other Canadian provinces studying at an English-speaking university in Quebec, at bachelor’s and master’s levels.
Turn the page on integrity issues
Furthermore, the Liberal Party, long plagued by illegal funding scandals, believes we must turn the tide now.
His report on the party’s revitalization, released this week, gave a voice to activists who diagnosed the party’s problems, but made no mention of integrity problems.
“We will have to change the tape, the media will have to change their tape with it,” complained Antoine Dionne Charest, one of the members of the PLQ revival committee.
Mr. Dionne Charest is the son of former Prime Minister Jean Charest. Under his rule, the government was hit with all sorts of allegations and the party was subsequently forced to pay back more than $1.1 million in non-compliant financing.
Honestly, I think we’ve shed light on everything. As for the rest, you’ve talked about it a lot, I think we can move on.
According to the co-chair of the Recovery Committee, MP Madwa-Nika Cadet, these questions of integrity did not arise during the major consultation tour where the committee met more than 500 activists.
The Liberal Party has always been a clean party.
According to him, the tide has been turned because the PLQ is resolutely moving towards the future.
Beauchemin appears before the General Council
MP Frédéric Beauchemin was expelled from the Liberal elected officials group following harassment allegations and presented himself to the party’s general council as an activist.
“I come here to listen to the people and debate the relaunch of the party,” he said during a press briefing this morning
The one who wants to run for the leadership of the party was surrounded by several of his supporters for this race, which, according to the rules published so far, will not crown a leader before 2025.
Chief Marc Tanguay acknowledged that Mr. Beauchemin had the right to be present as an activist.
“I am happy that he is here,” said Antoine Dionne Charest, one of the members of the PLQ revival committee.
Mr Dionne Charest recalled that Mr Beauchemin had not been accused of anything and that he was presumed innocent.
With information from The Canadian Press