Opposing Bill 96 takes courage, but there are reasons to think twice about supporting Leader Eric Duheim and his party.
Article Author:
Tom Mulquer • Montreal Gazette Special Edition
Quebec Conservative leader Eric Duhaim released his party's simplified platform over the weekend. There are not many. That's exactly the goal.
Indeed, Duheim plays conservative Golden his oldies. Address the housing crisis by helping landlords in distress. See, that kind of thing.
He raises a few specific issues, knowing that some mainstream media will go after him for not talking enough about 'identity'. His response to that criticism is quick and punchy. That is the priority of Prime Minister François Legault and his ally Avenir Quebec.
Legault says no to fossil fuel mining projects. Duheim reverses course.
It's all good politics. There are also tax cuts that seem particularly in sync with the salary of the average civil servant in Quebec City, where Duheim's figures are a real threat to Lego.
Lived there for years and worked there for decades. I love the place, but it's really another world.
The most important difference from my sister Montreal is the diversity of languages, cultures and religions. Yes, the demographics are changing too, but as some would say, it's still a big village.As a result, opinions and stories get passed around quickly.
They say all politics is local. Montreal has long dominated Quebec City airwaves and news programming. That left a void for iconoclastic (and sometimes brutal) local radio hosts like the recently deceased Andre Arthur. These stunning radio hosts allowed him to freely set the terms of the agenda and debate in the second largest metropolitan area in the state. Rush Limbaugh had nothing on these guys who were doing business long before him.
Duhaime was a practitioner of that type of radio. Unlike Arthur,he backed down and apologized, as when he unwittingly compared rape to car theft,as a politician, he openly opposed feminist policies. 66}, slandered a woman who worked as a parliamentary secretaryin his previous position.
Duheim demonstrated lightning speed on the radio and now proved to be intimidating in debate. But letting him say decisive things about policy is like trying to nail Jello to a wall. He does not allow himself to be bound.
That is why some of his exchanges with his colleague Yasmine Abdelfadel on Monday were very interesting. He actually answered the following question: Repeal Bill 96? Answer: Yes.
He soon branched out into talking about the fact that Parti Québécois voted against Bill 96 (yes, yes, because they felt it wasn't enough). He went on and on about freedom and didn't want to fight futile battles with the English-speaking community.
When Abdelfadel asked whether his views on freedom extended to religious freedom, Dujaime said he had once worked in Morocco. started (Abdel Fadel's family is from Morocco). He pointed out that he was gay and explained that he did not want government service from a person of religious inclinations. Mysterious, he still managed to avoid dead air. The entire CAQ team writes down every word this guy says during the campaign.Like Trump, he really cares what people say.
The fact that Duhaim has spent part of his previous political career trying to dismantle Canada with PQ and Bloc Quebec, of course, vote for him. This is a concern for federalists who believe that
Last time Quebec's English-speaking community was stymied, many voted for Rodrigue his Biron's Union National after Brassa introduced Bill 22.
Biron proved to be a sovereignist, and he became a minister in the René Levesque government. Buyers beware.
Former leader of the Federal NDP, Tom Marquea served as Environment Minister in Jean Charest's Quebec Liberal government.
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Conservative platform focused on tax cuts and health care reform
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Conservatives can find support in the English-speaking community, says Éric Duhaime.
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