Jacques Boissinot The Canadian Press «Between being a candidate for the leadership [ of the PLQ] and wanting to push the ideas that are in the report, there is a big difference,” declared André Pratte, seen here in May, on Thursday.
After having produced a recovery plan that “makes you dream”, the two co-presidents of the reflection committee on the future of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), André Pratte and Madwa-Nika Cadet, are closing the door with two fingers for a candidacy for the leadership.
“I do not intend to run,” Mr. Pratte told Devoir on Thursday, a few minutes after having presented a few minutes earlier the final report of the Committee on the recovery that he has been co-leading since the spring with the MP for Bourassa-Sauvé, Madwa-Nika Cadet.
“I think there will be high-quality candidates, I have no doubt,” said Mr. Pratt, who had nevertheless thought about this possibility in 2019, before the accession to the position of head of Dominique Anglade . “Between being a candidate for leadership and wanting to push the ideas that are in the report, there is a big difference. »
Earlier, Mr. Pratt had praised the “ambitious objectives” scattered in the 80-page report which will be presented to party members in general council this weekend. “We are taking a new step. This is what we propose in our report. […] I think it can make Quebecers dream. Quebecers are ambitious, daring, entrepreneurial people, and this is what we are offering them as a social project,” he said during a press conference in Montreal.
Read also
- An “inauthentic” and disorganized Liberal Party
- The Liberal Party is working on the idea of a Constitution of Quebec
Ms. Cadet, for her part, had already given up on the leadership race, the details and rules of which will be revealed this weekend in Drummondville. Producing the report on the revival of the party will not change her mind. “What we are saying is that [the report] will be a compass for the future leader,” she argued.
“Unifying nationalism”< /h2>
The report on the relaunch of the PLQ, entitled “Assert, gather, prosper”, suggests in particular that the formation relies on an “affirmation project” of Quebec to renew itself.
< p>Among the Committee's 41 proposals is a draft Quebec Constitution, as reported by Le Devoir at the end of September. This document would contain “the rules, norms and constitutional conventions governing Quebec” and would “explicitly state the values and Quebec identity.”
According to Mr. Pratt, this is an idea attractive to Quebecers. “It makes me dream to see that Quebec will assert itself on the Canadian and international scene. I think that’s what Quebecers want today,” he said.
The document also recommends that the training led by Marc Tanguay propose “the adoption of a law on interculturalism which would define the principles and conditions on which the integration of newcomers, the development of cultural diversity and the “living together”, in addition to demanding the repatriation of temporary immigration powers to Quebec and supporting the idea of reforming the voting system.
The report will not be binding on the future leader of the political party.
From the North Shore, where he participated in the inauguration of the Romaine hydroelectric complex, former Liberal leader Jean Charest , who had also been consulted with a view to issuing the report, said he was “impressed” by the work of the Committee.
He still recognizes himself in today's PLQ, despite the fact that the report puts forward a draft Constitution of Quebec, which is “not an idea [that] he had espoused” at the time. era. “I believe a lot in the Liberal Party of Quebec. On the political scene, the Liberal Party of Quebec has a very important place. For democracy, it’s very healthy,” underlined the former prime minister.
Beauchemin will be on the general council
The PLQ leadership race only had one potential candidate last week: MP Frédéric Beauchemin. However, a complaint for psychological harassment lodged against him by the president of the young liberals, Élyse Moisan, changes the situation. Mr. Beauchemin was temporarily excluded from the Liberal caucus this weekend after the interim leader of the party, Marc Tanguay, became aware of the complaint.
The elected representative of Marguerite-Bourgeoys denies outright the allegations, according to which he and his team were harassing, intimidating and threatening towards Ms. Moisan, who is also a researcher for the PLQ in the National Assembly. He also plans to go to the party's general council this weekend.
Questioned about his presence on Thursday, Marc Tanguay simply said that “any member can participate in the general council.”
Is Mr. Beauchemin's possible candidacy for a leadership race in question? “The party has internal policies and processes which are also confidential,” said PLQ President Rafael P. Ferraro. “I can’t say more about what happens next. »
With Alexandre Robillard