Ontario Premier Doug Ford dipped his toe into Quebec provincial politics Wednesday, suggesting that the election of a separatist party in Quebec would be a ‘disaster’ for Canada.
Ford was speaking at a joint news conference with New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt before a meeting of provincial premiers.
That will likely be current Quebec Premier François Legault’s final first ministers’ meeting, as Legault announced earlier this month he would be resigning as premier once his party selects a new leader.
With the Parti Québécois (PQ)’s Paul St-Pierre Plamondon leading handily in opinion polls ahead of the fall provincial election, Ford and Holt were asked what it might be like to sit around the first ministers’ table with a separatist premier.
“It’d be a disaster for our country if the separatists got elected. It’s as simple as that. We have to be a united Canada right now,” Ford said.
“There’s never been a more important time in our history to make sure that we stand shoulder to shoulder, united,” he continued.
“Not only it’ll be good for Canada, it will be good for Quebecers,” Ford said.
WATCH | Ford says it’s important to be ‘a united Canada’:
‘It’d be a disaster,’ Ford says if separatist party elected in Quebec
At a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters it would be a ‘disaster’ if separatists were elected in Quebec, and that it’s important ‘to be a united Canada right now.’ The separatist Parti Québécois, led by Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, is leading in the polls ahead of the province’s fall election.PQ leader reacts with sarcasm
PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon responded to Ford’s comments with sarcasm, speaking to reporters at a PQ caucus meeting Thursday in Saint-Georges, about 100 kilometres southeast of Quebec City.
“I’m convinced that Doug Ford said that because he loves Quebec and because he wants to prioritize Quebec’s interest above all, so I’m very touched,” St-Pierre Plamondon said.
PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, reacting Thursday at a caucus meeting in St-Georges to Doug Ford’s comments, said he found it ‘funny’ that other provinces are suddenly interested in Quebec. (Radio-Canada)
He went on to say it’s clear Ford cares only about Ontario’s interests, even if they come at the expense of Quebec.
“A few months ago he was trying to steal doctors from Quebec to benefit from Legault’s negotiations with doctors,” St-Pierre Plamondon said.
“He threw in that advertisement in the U.S. without consulting Quebec, and it had an impact on us,” he said.
St-Pierre Plamondon said ultimately he finds Ford’s comments ridiculous.
“Why would you intervene in Quebec and tell people how to vote and where is that going to lead?” he said.
“We’ve seen that over and over again, and it’s kind of funny to a certain extent,” St-Pierre Plamondon said.
Legault admonishes other premiers, Carney weighs in
Speaking Thursday after the first ministers’ meeting, Legault said he gently reminded other premiers to mind their own business.
“Quebecers don’t like it when it’s Mr. Trump or Mr. Carney or Mr. Ford or anyone else from outside Quebec. It’s up to Quebecers to decide the future of Quebec,” Legault said.
Speaking after the first ministers’ meeting in Ottawa, Premier François Legault said he politely reminded other premiers to mind their own business. (CBC)
But Legault quickly followed up reinforcing Ford’s comments.
“We know that a referendum on Quebec sovereignty, even before it happens, would bring economic uncertainty. It means less business investment,” Legault said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney also weighed in after being asked if he had the impression a “wind of panic” was blowing across Canada due to the PQ’s popularity in opinion polls.
“No, not at all. That doesn’t exist,” Carney said in Ottawa Thursday, sitting alongside Legault and other premiers at a post-meeting news conference. “What is the message today? It’s a team message.
“The premier of Quebec, the premier of Ontario, all the premiers, the prime minister of Canada — we are working together to build stronger, more resilient, more independent, more prosperous, and more sustainable provinces and territories,” he said.
“That’s much more important than phrases or a few words from any politician.”
Other premiers echo Ford’s comments
Holt and other premiers made similar comments to Ford Wednesday, albeit somewhat more diplomatically.
“Because of everything that’s happening, this current uncertainty, we shouldn’t contribute to the economic and social uncertainty. It’s a time to strengthen ourselves together,” Holt said.
“New Brunswick would like to see Quebec as a good neighbour, a good partner within Canada,” she said.
Nova Scotia’s premier also weighed in Wednesday.
“I’m on team Canada and I love this country and I believe in this country and I like this country the way it is,” Tim Houston said in Ottawa.
“We have to recognize that there are people with grievances and accepting those grievances and trying to work through them is really important,” he said.
British Columbia Premier David Eby said for him and British Columbians, “there’s really only one path forward for Canadians, and that’s through a unified country.”
“Now is the time for us all to pull together. And that’s the case whether it’s Alberta, Quebec or anywhere else,” he added.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew emphasized the links between Quebec and Manitoba’s francophone population.
“There’s a place for the nation of Quebec within Canada,” Kinew said, adding that he would work with whoever Quebecers choose as their premier.
PQ popular in Quebec, sovereignty less so
The comments come as Quebec politics are undergoing a seismic shift in the months leading up to the expected fall election.
Legault’s resignation means his governing and hugely unpopular Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) party is looking for a new leader.
The opposition Liberal Party of Quebec is also looking for a new leader, after the short-lived tenure of Pablo Rodriguez.
That makes St-Pierre Plamondon the longest-serving leader among major provincial parties. Under his leadership, the PQ has been dominating in public opinion polls in recent months and has racked up a series of byelection victories.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of the Parti Québécois. The PQ is polling near the top in voter intentions, though support for independence lags behind the party’s overall popularity. (CBC/Sylvain Roy-Roussel)
St-Pierre Plamondon has promised to launch a referendum on Quebec independence within the first mandate of a potential PQ government.
His popularity among voters does not necessarily translate into a fervour for independence.
Opinion polls generally show that about two-thirds of Quebecers would vote against the idea of an independent Quebec, although a recent uptick in support for sovereignty among younger voters has been encouraging for the PQ.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said he wasn’t surprised by Ford’s comments, and he fired back Wednesday.
“The other Canadian provinces are colonies of Ontario. The Canadian economy is built around the Ontario economy,” Blanchet said.
“If Doug Ford catches a cold, the Prime Minister scuttles off to Ontario,” he said.
“The day when Quebecers will separate, what we will separate from first and foremost is Ontario.”