(Quebec) In the wake of the earthquake caused by the defeat of the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC) in the Ontario riding of Toronto-St. Paul’s Monday, federal minister Jean-Yves Duclos affirmed that the gap of vision which separates his political party from Pierre Poilievre’s troops has rarely been so great in decades. He accuses conservative politics in Canada of being “contaminated” by the “politics of hatred, anger and insult” that we see in the United States.
“Pierre Poilievre is not Erin O’Toole, he’s certainly not Brian Mulroney and he’s not even Stephen Harper. Pierre Poilievre, that’s 40 years ago,” said the Liberal minister in an interview with La Presse Canadienne in his office in Quebec.
Jean-Yves Duclos obviously wants it to be the “contrast” – a word he repeated several times during the interview – between his party and the conservatives which structures the next federal elections in 2025.
“The question is what change do we want? Is this a step back 40 years on things like defending the rights of minorities, women, the fight against pollution and climate change, the fight for the middle class? Or do we want to continue moving forward by taking care of people and communities? », Says the minister.
“We see what is happening in France with the rise of the extreme right and in the United States with the rise of the right and the politics of hatred, anger and insult which is contaminating also conservative politics in Canada,” he adds.
Jean-Yves Duclos indicated that he continued to support Justin Trudeau despite Monday’s defeat. He still believes that the Prime Minister can lead his party to victory in 2025. However, polls currently show that Pierre Poilievre’s conservatives have a comfortable lead against the PLC.
The question of mobility in Quebec – which has caused a lot of ink to flow in recent weeks – also separates the two political parties. Favorable for the tramway, the PLC is much less keen on the idea of the third link, which Prime Minister François Legault officially resurrected two weeks ago.
The federal minister affirms that it is imperative to move forward quickly with the tramway while the motorway link project will take “years and years, and perhaps even decades” before being completed. realize.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, for his part, vigorously opposes this public transportation project, for the benefit of the third link. “As Prime Minister, I will not invest a cent of federal money in a tram project in Quebec,” he wrote on the social network X two weeks ago.
“Pierre Poilievre wants to deprive the people of Quebec of the most important investment in the history of Quebec City coming from the Canadian government. The 1.6 billion, it is budgeted and he wants to remove it. […] It is contempt for the people of Quebec,” retorts Jean-Yves Duclos in an interview.
The federal minister from Quebec also fears the rise of the Parti Québécois (PQ) – which is leading in the polls in the province – and its desire to hold a third referendum on independence.
“A referendum and all these discussions too often veer towards identity politics. It divides people. It divides Canada, but it also divides Quebecers,” he maintains.
Mr. Duclos assures that Canadian federalism works; As proof, he cites the various agreements that his government has concluded with Prime Minister François Legault.
“We serve the same citizens with the same resources, and in a federation we have the advantage of having different levels of government who do not always agree on everything, but who always arrive – at least in all the issues that I’ve been able to see over the last few years – to hear,” he maintains.
