Legault spars with Bloc, PQ over bringing down Trudeau government

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QUEBEC — Fed up with waiting for action on the issue of temporary immigration, Premier François Legault called on the Parti Québécois Thursday to pressure its federal cousins in the Bloc Québécois to bring down the Trudeau government.

Stopping on his way into question period at the National Assembly, Legault said he has been trying for six months to get the Trudeau government to budge on the number of temporary immigrants entering the province, which he said is “weakening the Quebec nation.”

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“To date, the only actions taken by (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau are not significant,” Legault said. “We are still at a level of 600,000 temporary immigrants.”

Yet Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Wednesday he will continue propping up the Liberal government, which is in a minority position, an irritated Legault noted.

The federal Conservatives have announced plans to table a confidence motion in the government Tuesday.

“I ask (Paul) St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of the PQ, to have the courage today to ask his comrade in the Bloc Québécois to back off, to not support the Trudeau government next week and to defend the interests of Quebecers and the Quebec nation,” Legault said.

“What is happening is important. Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon has the duty to stand up, to show courage and question Yves-François Blanchet.”

Legault’s decision to wade into the federal political scene came as his frustration with Ottawa’s inaction on issues dear to him has been increasingly on display.

Last Friday he blasted the prime minister on the immigration issue at a news conference in Montreal, with Trudeau standing right behind him and trying to maintain his composure.

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Caught off guard by Legault on Thursday, Blanchet and St-Pierre Plamondon responded almost immediately.

Blanchet fired back on social media, saying he is not going to play ball with Legault.

“The answer is no,” he wrote on X. “I am neither a Conservative or a Liberal … or a caquiste. I am the leader of the Bloc Québécois. I serve Quebecers, not the Liberals, based on my own judgment.

“The Conservative motion does not even deal with Justin Trudeau’s failure on immigration.”

At a news conference later Thursday at the House of Commons, Blanchet said he was still trying to figure out what Legault was attempting to do by making such remarks.

“The last time he played at this, he paid the price,” Blanchet said in reference to Legault’s tacit endorsement of the Conservatives under former leader Erin O’Toole in 2021. His move backfired and Quebecers did not follow his wish.

“You need to know the project of someone before you endorse them.”

St-Pierre Plamondon called in the media for a news conference, where he described Legault’s actions as those of a desperate man looking for a life-jacket. The premier’s strategy to convince Ottawa to give Quebec more powers over immigration has been a “catastrophic” failure, the PQ leader said.

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He said he has no plans to meddle in what the Bloc does in Ottawa because he does not have any doubts of where the party’s loyalties lie. The PQ was very active in helping the Bloc during the campaign for the federal byelection in the riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, which the Bloc won on Monday.

St-Pierre Plamondon said Legault is implying Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre would be a better prime minister for Quebec’s agenda. But, he added, Poilievre has never made any commitment to Quebec for more immigration powers.

Like Blanchet, St-Pierre Plamondon said Legault is hitching his horse to the wrong wagon.

“If the premier’s plan is really to glue himself to the Alberta Conservatives, I will stick with the Bloc Québécois and all those who are loyal to the interests of Quebec,” he said. “Because the Alberta Conservatives will not work for the interests of Quebec and will not govern Canada with the interests of Quebec in mind.

“You don’t need a post-doctoral degree in political science to see this reality.”

The Legault government did its best Thursday to box in the PQ and the Bloc, with Canadian Relations Minister Jean-François Roberge also trying to table a motion in the legislature.

The motion read: “Quebec MPs sitting in the House of Commons should not accord their confidence to a federal government if it does not respect Quebec’s jurisdictions.”

Roberge said the Bloc’s decision to keep supporting the Liberals was premature because it has not obtained any guarantees the Trudeau government will deliver the goods on Quebec’s needs.

The motion failed because not all the parties agreed to debate it.

Later in Ottawa, New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh also told reporters he would not support the Conservatives’ confidence motion next week, which means the Trudeau government will remain in place for now.

pauthier@postmedia.com

x.com/philipauthier

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