Quebec Liberal Party Leadership Race: Candidates vow to protect anglophone rights in English debate

Five candidates for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party faced off in the only English-language debate of the race on Sunday.

The candidates attacked the CAQ government for the state of healthcare services in the province and for using language and identity issues as political tools, while affirming their commitment to protect the rights of anglophone minorities.

They also pitched themselves as the best choice to lead a renewal of the Quebec Liberal Party and to defeat both the François Legault-led CAQ and Paul St. Pierre Plamondon of the Parti Québécois, which has been leading in voter intention polls for several months.

The new party chief will be chosen at a leadership convention on June 14 in Quebec City.

Improving Healthcare

In a discussion on healthcare, candidates blamed the Legault government for making false promises, such as reducing emergency room wait times and providing a family doctor for every Quebecer.

Charles Milliard, currently polling second in the race, said the social contract of healthcare was broken in the province and called it the number one issue for Quebecers.

Mario Roy called the public healthcare system foundational to Quebec identity and said he would ban private healthcare services. He criticized the Legault government for not implementing the Collège des Médecins du Québec’s demands to limit the expansion of private clinics.

“If we want to save the system, we need to bring people back to it,” said Roy.

None of the other candidates supported such a ban on private healthcare, instead calling for strengthening the public system.

Milliard cited a Léger poll showing that 42 per cent of Quebecers had used a private healthcare service, arguing that banning it would take away their rights.

Karl Blackburn said the CAQ government created bureaucracy that worsened the healthcare system and argued that people needed access to the private sector.

Roy responded by accusing Blackburn of continuing CAQ government policies. “We cannot replace CAQ with CAQ,” said Roy.

Marc Bélanger also defended the right to choose private services and proposed taxing private healthcare to fund the public system.

Bill 96 and the Rights of Anglophones and Minorities

All candidates criticized the Legault government for going too far with Bill 96, the controversial update to the language charter, and promised to roll back at least some of its provisions. They vowed to protect the rights of anglophones and minorities.

The candidates said they would not renew the use of the notwithstanding clause, which the Legault government used to shield the bill from legal challenges.

“I will not renew it, and I want to change the bill, because I strongly believe that it is going too far,” said Roy.

Rodriguez stated, “French has to be protected, but you don’t do that by attacking other communities.” He argued that the Legault government’s policies were dividing Quebecers. “A Quebecer is a Quebecer,” he said.

Milliard said the government’s measures targeting higher education institutions, such as the tuition increase for out-of-province and international students, had damaged the province’s reputation.

“I will cancel the discriminatory fee increase,” he said. The Quebec Superior Court had ruled against the CAQ’s tuition hike, stating that there was insufficient data to support the government’s claims.

Roy also expressed support for Quebec’s signing of the Canadian Constitution and the creation of a Quebec Constitution, while other candidates said that this was not a priority for them.

Protecting Quebec’s Economy from Tariffs

The candidates emphasized the need to use Quebec’s natural resources to fuel economic growth.

Milliard said that dealing with the trade war with the U.S. would be a true test of leadership. He pledged to follow the example of Jean Charest and use the Council of the Federation to manage interprovincial trade relationships.

Former federal minister Pablo Rodriguez, the current frontrunner according to polls by La Presse and Léger, came under scrutiny for touting his role in negotiating the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement during Donald Trump’s presidency.

He claimed to be the best person to stand up to Trump based on that experience.

Bélanger countered that Rodriguez was falsely claiming negotiating expertise he didn’t have. Bélanger said he was better suited to participate in trade negotiations due to his understanding of the market and international experience. “I know the international market (…) In 2002, I was talking about diversification of [Canada’s] markets,” he said.

In October, he added, he had raised red flags about companies moving from Canada to the U.S.
Roy said that Canada should withdraw from the free trade agreement.

“We shouldn’t tie our hands with free trade agreements that we respect but other countries do not,” Roy said.