“It was not very deft,” says Jean-François Roberge after a week of political tension between Ottawa and Quebec over temporary immigration.
“I think Mr. Trudeau slipped up, as we say,” Jean-François Roberge told reporters Saturday. “It was not very deft. It’s not a good idea to fight in front of visitors.”
“Mr. (François) Legault displayed the stature of a man of state. He did not criticize in the presence of Mr. Macron. I can’t say the same thing for Mr. Trudeau.”
Roberge made the comments arriving for a one-day Coalition Avenir Québec policy workshop here. The event comes as the CAQ enters the second half of its second mandate in office and at the same time as the party trails the Parti Québécois in the polls.
The prime minister had choice words for Premier François Legault, accusing him of saying things he “knows aren’t true” about immigration as the two leaders continue to clash over the issue.
“It is a shame to hear the (premier) of Quebec sharing things and declarations on immigration that he simply knows are not true,” Trudeau said alongside Macron.
“We have worked together constructively, or we have certainly worked with members of his team constructively, over the past many, many months to take action in response to the challenges around immigration in Quebec.
“I asked Mr. Legault to give us a plan, his plan, particularly on temporary foreign workers here in Quebec,” Trudeau said. “And many, many months later, we are still waiting to see what his plan is for his responsibilities around temporary immigration here in Quebec.”
Legault has previously said in the past two years, the number of temporary immigrants in Quebec has doubled to 600,000 from 300,000, which he says is putting pressure on housing, schools and public services.
Legault has yet to comment on Trudeau’s shot across the bow.
The comments were not the only incident on that visit. Legault and six of his ministers were also conspicuously absent for a federally sponsored dinner in Montreal in honour of Macron’s visit.
There was speculation it was a sign of displeasure by the Legault government, but Legault and his ministers all said they were caught off guard because the invitations arrived at the last minute and they were unable to adjust their schedules in time.
Roberge downplayed the incident, saying it was not intended as a snub. In his case, he had a family event that had been in the works for months and could not attend.
“Had we known really in advance we could have co-ordinated something,” Roberge said.
Legault’s team said the premier had to leave to prepare for this weekend’s CAQ workshop where he is to speak. He also leaves early in the new week to attend the annual summit of francophone countries in Paris. Trudeau is attending the same event.
“Relations are completely correct,” Roberge said. “It’s true there has been no advancement on the asylum seeker question, but the communication channel is not broken. Sincerely, I don’t think advancing issues related to Quebec and Canada hinge on a supper.”
Other ministers were split on the nature of their relations with their Ottawa counterparts who are in the midst of a high stakes political game of chicken as the Trudeau’s minority government struggles to survive.
“It’s tense, it’s tense,” said Sonia Bélanger, the junior health minister, as she arrived for the CAQ event. “We communicate, but there’s no follow-up, no decisions are taken.”
Benoit Charette, the minister of the Environment, mentioned the continuing feud between Quebec and Ottawa over the future of Quebec’s declining caribou herd.
“There is disagreement which runs deep,” Charette said. “There’s no doubt about it. They are inviting us to dinner for fools. They dangle big dollars, but they are related to two completely different subjects.”