“At the same time as we face an enormous economic risk, people are worried about their wallets,” premier says about PQ’s plan to use public funds to promote a referendum, should the party take power in 2026.
QUEBEC — Premier François Legault has accused the Parti Québécois of being out of touch with reality in continuing to plan for an independence referendum, including using public funds to promote it, should it take power in 2026.
“I think Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is disconnected,” Legault said as he arrived for question period at the National Assembly on Wednesday. “At the same time as we face an enormous economic risk, people are worried about their wallets.
“You have to be disconnected to be working on preparing a referendum on sovereignty in the fall of 2026.”
At a news conference, St-Pierre Plamondon did not deny the report but specified the new element in the PQ’s accounting plan is that the PQ’s 125 riding associations would get a share of funds raised to promote independence individually.
The actual referendum spending, however, is governed closely by Quebec’s referendum law and that cannot happen before the campaign for the Yes side is actually launched. That does not happen automatically on election day, he specified.
“Yes, the PQ will promote independence,” St-Pierre Plamondon said. “It’s no big news this morning that the PQ’s own funds will be used and are being used to promote Quebec as a country. That has nothing to do with a referendum campaign.”
He denied the party is getting ahead of itself and assuming it will win the election.
“You know us,” he said. “We plan what we need to do to reach each of our objectives. It’s normal that we plan. The reverse would be worrisome. Nothing that we are planning will be a mystery to the voters.”
He repeated the current PQ policy will be that public funds can be used to promote independence.
“For decades, the federal government never hesitated to use public funds, paid to the federal government, to promote federalism,” he said.
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