Achi news desk-
Parti Québécois (PQ) Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon does not shy away from criticism that comments he made referring to Canada’s colonial past were an inappropriate way to push his party’s sovereignty agenda.
“We need to be considering all of Canadian history when interpreting what’s going on,” he told CJAD 800’s Aaron Rand.
This comes just days after St-Pierre Plamondon assured that Quebecers will “definitely live through a third referendum” on sovereignty before the end of the decade if his party is elected.
His reasoning: the federal government poses an “existential threat” to Quebecers.
“What will become of us as Quebecers if we don’t even have a fifth of the votes in a government that decides for us? We’re done. Canada has a bleak future ahead of us,” he told party members at a two-day national council on housing. “It is a system that only wants to crush those who refuse to assimilate.”
Speaking to Rand on Wednesday about backlash to his comments, St-Pierre Plamondon noted, “I don’t always speak quietly but I always try to be as thoughtful as possible.”
However, he doubled down on his argument, saying that the federal government “disrespects” the states when it comes to issues such as immigration.
“That doesn’t give us any hopes of integration, and housing, and of providing services to these people under federal immigration enforcement,” he said.
Plamondon said there are currently 560,000 temporary immigrants in Quebec, and if the federal government continues on this path, “there is no viable future for Quebec.”
LISTEN ON RADIO CJAD 800: PQ leader accuses Canada of ‘disrespecting provincial competences’
He also refused to apologize for referring to Canada’s history, saying the country should not shy away from its past.
“Talking about history is not radical even though the [Quebec Liberal Party] PLQ or Éric Duhaime are trying to distort what I said to make me a radical politician,” he said. “I don’t think people will buy that because I’ve been consistent for the last few years, and talking about history shouldn’t be radical in my opinion.”
He points out that his criticism is not aimed specifically at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or his Liberal Party but at the federal government in general.
“He continues his father’s mission. He has exactly the same attitude towards Quebec, and that is fair to do,” said St-Pierre Plamondon. “If we live in a world where the past never happened, it is difficult to get a proper reading of what is really happening now if we have no idea of ​​what happened from the forward.”
He says his beliefs will not change no matter who is in power.
The next federal election is expected to be held on or before October 20, 2025.
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