Quebec “discriminatory” laws: Trudeau and O’Toole denounce, Blanchet reacts

The day after the debate in English, the Liberal leader Justin trudeau and the conservative leader Erin O’Toole denounced the question of the moderator Shachi Kurl on the “discriminatory” laws of Quebec. For his part, the Bloc leader doubts their sincerity.

While in a sports center in Hamilton, Ontario, Mr. Trudeau returned to the first intervention of the president of the Angus Reid Institute to the place ofYves-Francois Blanchet. The preamble to the question associated the Quebec law on secularism as well as Bill 96 on the reform of Bill 101 with racism against religious minorities, anglophones and allophones.

The Liberal leader said he was “very surprised by the kind of amalgamation” conveyed in this question and said he “found that absolutely unacceptable and insulting as a Quebecer”.

“Quebecers are not racists. I understand that there are people who disagree with Bill 21; I am one. And I understand that we still have a lot of work to do across the country to fight systemic discrimination. But to paint an entire nation with this brush… No, that doesn’t work, ”said Mr. Trudeau.

To a reporter who asked him why he did not react immediately if the question was so unacceptable, the Liberal leader blamed the format of the debate which did not allow leaders to respond or intervene when attacked by their leaders. opponents.

“Firstly, because I was a bit surprised by the question and, secondly, because, like many people [l’ont remarqué], the format was not necessarily very encouraging for interventions and follow-ups and the moderator was interrupting Mr. Blanchet while he answered. I was not going to add my voice to the cacophony, ”he argued.

Soon after, Mr. O’Toole added his voice to the denunciations. “Quebecers are not racist, and I reject the premise of the question asked during the debate last night,” he wrote on Twitter. In front of reporters, speaking of Mrs. Kurl’s question, he admitted that there were “some questions which were a bit unfair”.

These denunciations did not convince the leader of the Bloc, who described these reactions as “pure opportunism”.

“You know the three little monkeys: I see nothing, I hear nothing, I say nothing. All the leaders were frozen in time while Quebec was generously insulted. This morning, they realize that they have got into trouble. […] I will let Quebeckers measure the credibility of these affectionate revivals which did not appear when the time was right, ”said Mr. Blanchet.

“Where was Mr. O’Toole and his boxes of chocolates and his flowers last night when Quebec was being insulted?” […] Where was Quebecer Justin Trudeau last night? […] The regrets seem as late as they are insincere, ”he lamented.

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