[Chronique de Michel David] money issue

When he was in the Parti Québécois, François Legault issued a warning: “If there is a slowdown or a recession, Quebec will bring Canadian federalism to its knees,” while the Sovereign promised him the opposite of better days.

Alliance leader Avenir Quebec estimates there is now a 50% chance of Quebec’s economy entering a recession, but that doesn’t stop him from believing that federalism remains more beneficial.

Needless to say, the increased need for political stability in times of economic uncertainty also makes him argue that it is best to leave an experienced team “with both hands at the wheel”.

Last spring, Mr Legault said he was impatient to see the study on public finances that PQ had promised, which was meant to be an update of the study. Made by himself in 2004which concluded that Quebec had every advantage in leaving the union.

While Paul St-Pierre Plamondon claims that publication of this study has been delayed due to the new calculations required by the increase in inflation, Mr. Legault instead believes that his conclusions are not conclusive enough in the eyes of PQ, a tie that Quebec got after it moved from 4 Billions to $13 billion since 2004.

It is true that since the first year budget of Jacques Pariso (1973), through the studies of the Campo Belanger Commission (1990) and the studies of the Ministry of Restructuring (1995), practices of this kind have had mixed effects.

Although the calculations are accurate, there are far too many unknowns that have the effect of sparking confusing and troubling number wars. While her campaign was going well, the PQ was not interested in launching a debate that would put Paul St-Pierre Blamondon on the defensive.

Passes through the editing table of Should Last Saturday, the CAQ leader defended himself well as he turned himself into a defender of Canadian unity, but it’s like: “We receive at least 10 billion more than we send to Ottawa. It remains to be said.”

In the Federal Capital, we certainly noticed the good manners of Mr. Legault. Of course, he will always ask for more money, but we haven’t heard him talk about Federalism in such a positive way. We can still make him swallow snakes.

When he was in opposition, Mr. Legault criticized the Couillard government for managing the economy so poorly that the equality paid to Quebec had tripled. It has now become his main argument for staying within the union.

He admits that we can legitimately decide to part with those billions in order to preserve our identity, but that’s not his choice. Finally, for CAQ, this whole discussion is not a matter of dignity or pride, as Bernard Drenville put it in An unforgettable plea for independence in the National Assemblybut just a financial issue.

Mr. Legault never claimed to be a romantic hero, even if more than once he succeeded in making patriotic fibers vibrate. However, the accountant is not far off.

However, it has become embarrassing that” New project for Quebec nationalists Which was supposed to lay the foundations of a “new relationship” with Canada, did not yield the slightest result. Mr Legault is still unable to identify one of his 21 applications that have received a positive reception in Ottawa.

Now he says he’s willing to forgo the new immigration powers he’s been asking if the federal government is sure to welcome more French-speaking newcomers to head toward the 80%.

However, the experience of Francophone immigration outside Quebec leaves one skeptical. The target of 4.4% of new arrivals, set by the federal government in 2003, never came close to meeting it, despite cries of warning from francophone societies. That didn’t stop the minister in charge, Sean Fraser, from promising once again to get there by next year.

Realizing that “it’s not easy with Justin Trudeau,” Mr Legault is once again betting on a change of government in Ottawa. However, he did not dare to utter the name of Pierre Poilifri. Money is well and good, but selling your soul to the devil is not necessarily a good deed.

Let’s see in the video