Quebec’s premier would like minority government in Ottawa, says Liberals and NDP are ‘dangerous’

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This article was published 09/09/2021 (1821 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA—All was quiet on the campaign trail Thursday as party leaders buckled down ahead of the first English-language debate of the campaign — the final chance for all five leaders to go head-to-head and make their pitches to Canadians before voting day.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau spent some time Thursday morning at Ottawa’s General Hospital; joined by his 13-year-old son Xavier, Trudeau greeted and thanked health-care workers for their role supporting Canadians through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We all owe you a deep debt of gratitude,” Trudeau said, adding that Canadians must now do their part to help end the pandemic.

“That is why … we have been unequivocal on vaccinations,” the Liberal leader said.

Trudeau reiterated that vaccination was key to taking the strain off a health-care system contending with delayed surgeries and other medical procedures due to the ongoing public health crisis.

While Thursday night’s debate stage may be the last time the leaders appear together in person during the campaign, they’ll soon be seen once more in a non-partisan video message encouraging Canadians to get vaccinated.

On Saturday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh issued a letter to all major party leaders, urging them to set aside partisanship and record a message “telling Canadians that vaccines are safe, easy and necessary.” Trudeau, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole and Green Leader Annamie Paul have all responded to the call, stating their intent to participate.

The video, produced by a third party so that it is not coming from the NDP directly, will be produced Thursday and is expected to be shared with the public on Friday.

Before the debate, Singh made a stop at an Ottawa children’s store with his wife Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu, who is pregnant, to pick up a few items.

Reflecting on Wednesday evening’s French-language jousting match, Singh told reporters he was “happy” with his performance.

The NDP leader said his goal was to tell Canadians “that they cannot afford another four years of Mr. Trudeau, who continues to say a lot of great things in the campaign and not deliver.”

But both the Liberals and the NDP, along with the Greens, drew criticism Thursday from Quebec Premier François Legault, who suggested that the platforms put forward by those parties would be “dangerous” for his province.

Legault — the premier of a province where all major parties hope to make gains — pointed to issues like health care, immigration and Bill 21, the province’s secularism law, as evidence that the three parties could pull autonomy away from Quebec.

While not stating it outright, Legault’s comments implied that choosing the Conservatives or Bloc Québécois would result in a more favourable outcome for the province.

The premier did not sidestep criticizing the Conservatives, however, taking aim at Erin O’Toole for his party’s platform promise to slash the Liberals’ pledge to create a national daycare program, given that the Liberals have already signed a $6-billion child-care deal with Quebec.

Legault said he wouldn’t tell Quebecers how to vote, but he said given that no federal party is giving the province everything it wants, a minority government would be best.

“It’s up to Quebecers to choose, but I’ll tell you this, I’m a nationalist, I want Quebec to have more autonomy and power,” he said.

Thursday also saw the Conservatives pledging to revise supply-chain legislation to “meaningfully enforce” Canada’s commitment to not import products made through “forced or enslaved” labour.

In Toronto, several local NDP candidates shared their party’s intent to establish a guaranteed livable income program, beginning with supports to lift seniors and people living with disabilities out of poverty.

With files from The Canadian Press

Raisa Patel is an Ottawa-based reporter covering federal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @R_SPatel