Pursuing anglo votes, response to Bill 96 & fighting for 2nd: one-on-one with Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade

Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade sits down for a one-on-one interview with CityNews reporter Tina Tenneriello. She talks about the battle for second place in the election, courting anglophone voters and Bill 96.

By Tina Tenneriello

Posted September 29, 2022 8:00 am.

Last Updated September 29, 2022 11:32 am.

Polls are projecting a tight battle for second place in the Oct. 3 Quebec election.

CityNews spoke to Dominique Anglade, the leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec.

It’s been a tough campaign for the Liberals, but you’re still out there, you’re having fun. It looks like there’s been a shift recently to put more of you forward. We saw you dancing on TikTok, nice moves, by the way. But despite this, the latest poll is still showing you in third place. Do you feel like Quebecers know the real Dominique Anglade or do you feel like there’s a disconnect?

I think they’re discovering it throughout the campaign. I’ve seen a shift in the last week or so after the second debate where people are telling us, ‘we are realizing the proposals, the energy level that you guys have in the campaign.’ And, really what we need to tell ourselves is that the majority of Quebecers don’t want to see François Legault as premier. We need to unite ourselves. We can’t keep dividing ourselves. We have another good example today where Jean Boulet, minister of the CAQ, said comments that were totally inappropriate and unacceptable about immigration. It’s always the same thing, François Legault keeps hammering this division. We can’t build a stronger Quebec by dividing each other and that’s the message that we’re telling everybody. And, I think that’s resonating more and more with people.

We did hear you say, we need to vote to “block François Legault.” What is the message that you’re trying to send with that line?

We need to change the type of leadership that is at the helm of Quebec right now. If you think of François Legault he is not only divisive, but also very confrontational, doesn’t work well with the federal, doesn’t work well with the municipalities, has really specific ideas about the troisième lien, all those things. Whereas, we can collaborate, we can work together.
It’s having people from all backgrounds, everywhere in the province, working together and making sure that we’re making the right decisions regarding the economy, regarding the labour shortage, regarding all the decisions we have to make on health care, on education and climate change.

The problem is we have a government right now that doesn’t see all those issues that says, ‘we don’t need more people, everything is OK, let’s continue,’ that’s their slogan. But that’s the last thing we need to do is to continue. We need to change the path that we are on today.

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I want to speak to you about Bill 96, because there was some anger from the anglophone community on how the Liberals handled the file. Your party did propose amendments to the language reform bill that took it even further than what the CAQ was proposing. Then you backtracked on that amendment. You did vote against the bill in the end. Do you feel that the Liberals made a mistake in how they handled Bill 96?

I was clear all along that we need to talk to the communities when such decisions are being made. And, there was not enough communication and discussions around this. At the end of the day, we voted against Bill 96. We voted against Bill 21, which is another example of division. We are the only party, out of all parties that voted against both bills. Why? Because it goes against our values. It goes against the diversity that we have and it’s always making people feel that they don’t belong.

I’m speaking to the English speaking community, but at the end of the day, what I want is for everybody to feel that they belong here in Quebec. How many times have I heard in the last year, ‘I’m just going to leave because I don’t feel like I’m part of Quebec.’ This is disheartening and that’s not what I want to see. That’s not how are we going to build a strong society. We need to unite, all of us, stand strong together. In order to achieve the objectives that we have, that’s what we need to do.

Quebec Liberal leader Dominique Anglade in Trois-Rivières Sept. 5, 2022. (CREDIT: Twitter/@DomAnglade)

You mentioned voting against Bill 96 and voting against Bill 21. Can you clarify your position on both? If elected, you would repeal completely Bill 96 and what is your plan with Bill 21?

On both bills you have notwithstanding clause that are preventing anybody from really taking those bills to court. So first thing we would do is to repeal the notwithstanding clause. Then on 96 we would eliminate the issue around immigration and having to learn the language in six months. Making sure that everything is clear in terms of access to health care, access to justice as well, because there are many problems associated with that. Allowing young adults to decide where they want to study. You don’t have to tell them they should go to a such CEGEP or another one, they should have the right to choose. So those elements we would eliminate. On Bill 21, we would make sure that anybody can teach in Quebec regardless of what they’re wearing. That’s really what we want to do.

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There were new parties created like Bloc Montreal and the Canadian Party of Quebec in response to your handling of Bill 96. We’ve been hearing from them that anglophones can’t count on the Liberals anymore to defend their interests. We’re also hearing that from the Conservative Party, who are courting anglo voters. Do you worry that this could hurt you on Oct. 3? And, what is your message to anglophones that worry that the Liberals no longer have their best interests at heart?

First of all, it’s a matter of values. I’m a daughter of immigrants. I know what it means to be a minority. I know what it means to stand up for what’s right. Recognize when you make a mistake, say it and then fight. Those are the values I was brought up with and that I share with my three children. So first and foremost, it’s a matter of values. But also, at the end of the day, if you want to block François Legault, you have to look at the alternatives. You were talking about the Conservatives. Well, the Conservatives, Éric Duhaime said himself that he would not do anything about Bill 21, he would like to take it further. And, on the question of independence around Quebec, he said sovereignty, ‘I’m not sure what I would do with that, whether it’s something that we should consider or not.’ So clearly, not aligned with the values that we defend here at the Liberal Party of Quebec.

You know what, I always go and meet with people wherever I’m invited, have discussions, make sure that I hear everybody’s voice. It hasn’t been an easy two-and-a-half years during COVID and I understand that we need to spend time with the community. One thing that I can guarantee is my full commitment to listening to people, making sure we make the right decisions and as the leader of this party, making sure that all voices are heard and that we value this principle of diversity.

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The latest poll that came out, you are third for the preferred Opposition leader behind Québec solidaire and the PQ. I have heard personally people that have voted for the Liberals their whole life saying, I’m looking at other alternatives this time around. What do you think happened to your strong voting base? The Liberals who were always in power or in official Opposition, what do you think happened?

You see polarization everywhere. Quebec is no different. But at the end of the day, what is it that we really want? I’m telling you, I don’t think you’re going to find somebody that is more hardworking than myself, to fight for the rights of people, to stand up for what’s right. And the type of leadership that I bring, of bringing everybody together, is really unique. That’s what I would definitely tell everybody. When they think about the other parties, you mentioned Québec solidaire, you mentioned Parti Québécois. Those are sovereigntist parties. Those are people that don’t want to work with the federal government. They want to separate from the rest of Canada. It’s very clear in their platform, it’s very clear in the money that is allocated to sovereignty. I mean, those are the choices that we have.

I think people are going to look at this and say, ‘OK, what is the best here? I might have been disappointed with the Liberals, but at the end of the day, this is a new leadership, a new team.’ You look at the candidates that we have as well representing the Liberal Party. I think of Désirée McGraw, that is bringing huge experience and leadership around fighting for climate change. I think of Brigitte Garceau, who is involved in law, but also involved with the community, with violence against women. Isabelle Melançon, great people that we have. Filomena Rotiroti, great leaders that we have within the group. So I would tell them to come and join us. We are a great team, we have a great plan and we want to stand up for what’s right.