Parti Québecois Leader Paul St-Pierre-Plamondon highlights election priorities while visiting the Outaouais

Parti Québecois Leader Paul St-Pierre-Plamondon highlights election priorities while visiting the Outaouais

The Leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ), Paul St-Pierre Plamondon was in the Outaouais to unveil the candidates who will run for the party in the riding of Hull and Chapleau during the upcoming provincial elections on October 2, 2022. In an interview with CHIP 101.9, St-Pierre Plamondon highlighted his party’s priorities for the region.

“Of course the French language. There is only one party in Quebec that says that the French language deserves better protection, that we must go further and if there is a place where the decline and even the contempt towards the French and the francophones is felt , it’s the Outaouais. So, for sure it’s a priority for the next elections because, if it were not for the Parti Québécois, we would not be debating this issue. Then, there is equity for the Outaouais in a lot of issues. Then it’s daunting to have to talk about Highway 50, to have to talk about the location of the construction of a new hospital building, the workforce, the repatriation of care that takes place in Ontario. It’s embarrassing in the sense that I think many people in the Outaouais voted CAQ thinking that it would change something about the fact that the Outaouais often comes last.”
– Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, Leader of the Parti Québécois (translated)

St-Pierre Plamondon said Bill 96, the CAQ’s legislation overhauling French language laws, simply doesn’t go far enough.

“Well, we have to rely on the experts on the improvement of Bill 101. We have had parliamentary commissions. The claim of the Parti Québécois is that there are missing measures, but we must listen to the experts who have come to tell us: Bill 96 will not reverse the decline of the French in Quebec. Then, once it’s been said by all the experts, we can choose not to listen to them, then comfort ourselves with half measures and slogans and that’s what the CAQ will propose, that’s what the CAQ will do for everything else. Or, we can support the Parti Québécois who say: we are going to apply Bill 101 to Cégep, we are going to apply a statute of bilingualism for cities which is much more demanding because at the moment, many cities are bilingual by default. We will ensure that the working language is French. We will promote Quebec culture in French.”
– Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, Leader of the Parti Québécois (translated)

St-Pierre Plamondon presented the candidacy of Marisa Gutierrez, who will run for the PQ in the Chapleau electoral district. She is a community organizer for the CISSS de l’Outaouais. He also introduced Camille Pellerin Forget, who will represent the PQ in the riding of Hull. She pediatric physiotherapist.

“I’m really happy to introduce Marisa and Camille to the Outaouais, and above all, I am really happy that they will both be sporting the PQ’s colours come September for the provincial election campaign. I am convinced that theses two generous, dynamic and authentic young women have a lot to offer the people of Chapleau and Hull locally and at the National Assembly,” he concluded (tr.).

The full (French-language) interview with the leader of the PQ, Paul St-Pierre-Plamondon, is availble here.