Prime Minister François Legault rallied his troops on Sunday at a Coaltion Avenir Quebec (CAQ) party convention in Trois-Rivières aimed at preparing for the upcoming provincial elections in 2022.
The weekend’s theme was to strengthen Quebec’s regions, but the prime minister insists he has not given up hope that he can win more seats in Montreal.
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During his closing speech, Legault said that the CAQ “married the economy and nationalism of Quebec.”
For example, he said that Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel would soon introduce a bill that would require government ministries and crown corporations to “buy locally.”
“It is time for the government to lead by example,” Legault said in his speech to some 850 party members, before adding that “his dream” is for economic activity to “explode” in rural Quebec.
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The convention, known as General advice, focused on the Quebec regions. Out of 74 CAQ MNAs, only two were elected from constituencies on the island of Montreal. In Sunday’s 40-minute speech, Legault omitted any mention of Montreal, but speaking to reporters afterward, he said that doesn’t mean he isn’t planning to win more seats there in the next election.
“I’m sure we will get more than two.”
CAQ President Sarah Beaumier ran for Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in 2018. She was present with Legault when she answered questions from journalists, but the prime minister did not confirm whether she will run again.
“We want to have more seats on the island of Montreal,” he said.
“But unlike the Liberal Party, for example, we are not alone on the island of Montreal. We are everywhere in Quebec. “
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Legault said that on the economic front, he will campaign on a plan to narrow the wealth gap between Quebec and Ontario. On the nationalist front, the government is committed to protecting the French language.
Earlier this month, Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau was outraged when he said he didn’t need French to get by in Montreal.
French Language Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette confirmed that Bill 96 would apply Bill 101 to federal companies in Quebec. If they don’t comply, companies like Air Canada could be subject to sanctions, Jolin-Barrette said.
The next elections are in October 2022.
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