Statements of Carlos Leitao: the liberals don’t say “ethnic nationalism”

Photo Simon Clark
Annoyed by the declarations of Carlos Leitao, which combines the QAC to the “ethnic nationalism”, the liberal ministers have avoided to take back this term.

Charles Lecavalier

Thursday, march 15, 2018 12:15

UPDATE
Thursday, march 15, 2018 12:22

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Annoyed by the declarations of Carlos Leitao, which combines the QAC to the “ethnic nationalism”, the liberal ministers have avoided repeating this phrase, while accusing François Legault to divide Quebecers.

“What we want especially to say, it is to describe the situation that has been very well described by my colleague: to know, to want to divide the Québécois according to their date of arrival, rather than gathering together to grow the economy,” said the parliamentary leader Jean-Marc Fournier, Thursday, at the output of the question and answer period.

Just like his colleagues, David Heurtel and Sébastien Proulx, he has carefully avoided the term “ethnic nationalism”, as used by Carlos Leitao said in an interview given to the daily newspaper The Gazette.

“I don’t have to repeat a statement in a context or I have not heard”, said the minister of Education Sébastien Proulx. “I have not experienced the context in which it was said. I know Mr. Leitao, I know for what reason he makes the policy, I know why he is motivated to get into politics, I know that he attaches great importance to the place of people like him in the society, which were built and are today the minister of Finance”, he added.

Immigration minister David Heurtel has gone out to denounce the two policies proposed by the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ): the “values test” and a reduction of the threshold of immigration, of 50 000 to 40 000 people per year. He has also refused to borrow the term used by Carlos Leitao. After two questions in French, he preferred to switch to English to complete the scrum.

The day before, the prime minister Couillard has also refused three times to support the statement of Mr. Leitao, who considers that the CAQ supports a form of nationalism in which the nation is defined in terms of ethnicity.

The liberal Party has also refused to debate a motion supported by the CAQ, the pq, and Québec solidaire, who argued that any political party elected to the national Assembly does not defend ethnic nationalism.