General

Lucien Bouchard tears into the PQ

Former premier urges sovereigntists to focus their attention on more pressing problems than identity issues

Former Quebec premier Lucien Bouchard waited nearly ten years to step back into the political stoplight, but he made a doozy of a re-entry at an event celebrating the 100th anniversary of Le Devoir last night. Bouchard excoriated the PQ’s apparent desire to replace the all-but-defunct Action démocratique du Québec as the chief representative of Quebec’s “radical niche.” The ongoing debate into religious displays and the role they should play in a secular society like Quebec’s is “exaggerated,” Bouchard said, and runs counter to René Levesque’s ideals. “[Levesque] wasn’t worried about things like that,” he said. “He wasn’t afraid at the sight of immigrants coming here.” Bouchard reserved his most stinging rebukes for those who want to achieve sovereignty at all costs. Though the former PQ leader says he remains a dedicated sovereigntist, the province should first concentrate on “shaking off its torpor” confront more pressing problems like the elevated high school dropout-rate, the underfunding of universities, and the difficulty in raising electricity rates.

Le Devoir

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