General

Legault: Just say ‘No’ to referendum

The head of Quebec’s upstart third party has rid himself of the ambiguity dogging his stance on sovereignty. If a referendum were held today, he would “vote No.”

“Because I think that right now, it’s not the good time to do so and it wouldn’t be good for our nation to have a referendum right now. (So) of course, I wouldn’t vote ‘Yes’ for the next 10 years,” the leader of Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) told the National Post.

Premier Jean Charest has made great efforts during the election campaign to portray Legault as a separatist. This was not entirely far-fetched, given that Legault has served as a minister for a Parti Québécois government and once ran to lead the party. Legault had promised not to raise the issue of sovereignty for ten years.

Meanwhile, his party is surging in the polls. The (somewhat regrettably named) CAQ stands at 24 per cent, up 10 per cent, as compared to the 32 per cent of the Liberals and 34 per cent of the PQ, according to a Forum Poll conducted by the Post. The poll arrives on the heels of the announcement that anti-corruption stud Jacques Duchesneau was running as a candidate for the CAQ.

 

 

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
FILED UNDER: