Latest news with #Legault
Montreal Gazette
3 hours ago
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Trump's latest move on aluminum tariffs defies all logic, Legault says
By QUEBEC — U.S. President Donald Trump's latest move on trade tariffs, penalizing the Canadian and Quebec economies, defies all logic, Premier François Legault said Wednesday, 'What he is doing with aluminum does not stand up,' Legault said, arriving for question period at the legislature. 'What we are realizing is Mr. Trump is defying all logic.' After saying last week that he would double tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, Trump acted Tuesday, signing an executive order raising U.S. tariffs from 25 per cent to 50 per cent as of 12:01 am Wednesday. Legault immediately responded on social media, saying it was an 'unjustified decision which hurts our workers, our economy as well as that of the United States.' Les nouveaux tarifs de Donald Trump sur notre acier et notre aluminium entrent en vigueur demain. Une décision injustifiée qui nuit à nos travailleurs, à notre économie, ainsi qu'à celle des Américains. On suit la situation de très près. Nos programmes d'aide sont disponibles,… — François Legault (@francoislegault) June 4, 2025 'Of course we are disappointed,' Legault said, sounding exasperated with Trump's flipflops and policy changes. 'Putting 50-per-cent tariffs on aluminum and steel is completely illogical, particularly for aluminum.' He noted the United States gets 60 per cent of its aluminum from Quebec and is unable to produce more than it does now. The immediate result will be to increase the costs of producing automobiles for Ford and General Motors, he said. 'They will be obliged to increase their prices, it will reduce the demand so it will penalize Quebec workers, but also American workers a lot.' He said there was a meeting Tuesday between Dominique Leblanc, the federal minister of intergovernmental affairs, and U.S. secretary for trade Howard Lutnick, 'and nothing came of it.' 'It seems nobody can bring him back to reason. We don't understand what he's doing.' Legault said Quebec already has programs in place to help Quebec companies through the storm, but, 'We hope Mr. Trump will change his mind.' 'It more important than ever to speed up all the economic projects we have to replace and be able to create jobs, particularly in the regions of Quebec,' he said. He used the situation to press the opposition parties to end their blocking of legislation overhauling Quebec's energy sector, Bill 69. With rumours flying that the Coalition Avenir Québec make invoke closure to fast-track the bill into law, Legault said there are a series of projects in the regions depending on the new law. Legault said he intends to again discuss the situation Thursday with Prime Minister Mark Carney to make a pitch for expanding aide programs for multinational companies. And Legault announced he will head to France from June 13 to 16 to participate in the 55th annual Paris air show at Le Bourget. He plans to meet major players in the aeronautical and aerospace field to stimulate business for Quebec companies to make up for losses on the American markets.
Montreal Gazette
a day ago
- General
- Montreal Gazette
Hanes: Bill 40 appeal shows the Legault government has learned nothing
By Whenever a new fracas erupts between the government of Premier François Legault and the anglophone community, Eric Girard, the minister responsible for relations with English-speaking Quebecers, is dispatched to try to patch things up. Recently, he admitted that new directives issued last summer that suggested eligibility certificates for education in English could be used to access health care in English were ' not our finest moment' and that he was 'disappointed' at how the whole saga played out. Previously, Girard acknowledged that tuition hikes for out-of-province students that disproportionately harmed Quebec's English universities had ruffled feathers, and he vowed to smooth things over. When he was appointed to the portfolio in 2022 after the angst surrounding the adoption of Bill 96, Quebec's update of protections for the French language, Girard promised to allay fears and 'do better.' 'When I say we need to do better, I mean we need to improve relations,' he told The Gazette back in the early days of his tenure. But time and again, these prove to be empty promises. Because actions speak louder than words. And even though it was less than a month ago that Girard called for the latest reset, the Legault government has demonstrated the depth of its contempt for the rights of English-speaking Quebecers anew by announcing its intention to appeal the latest ruling on Bill 40 all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada (if the top court agrees to hear it, that is). The attempt to abolish English school boards and replace them with service centres was one of the first bones of contention between the anglophone community and the Legault government after it was first elected in 2018. The Quebec English School Boards Association launched a constitutional challenge of the law immediately after its passage and has since won two resounding victories. Both Quebec Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeals have agreed that Bill 40 is a violation of Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and affirmed the rights of the English-speaking minority to manage and control its own schools. Both courts have categorically said that transforming school boards into service centres like their francophone counterparts, centralizing many of their decision-making powers in the ministry of education, and axing the elected councils of commissioners run counter to those constitutional guarantees. But the Legault government is forging ahead trying to defend the discredited law. At this point, there is no principled reason to drag this out — and no pragmatic imperative, either. Quebec's English school boards obtained an injunction in 2020, keeping them intact for the duration of the legal proceedings. For five years they have continued to operate as they always have, overseen by elected representatives from the community, alongside French service centres. At this point the government's argument that it can't have two different systems for running French and English schools doesn't really hold water. In fact, there is growing concern that francophone service centres, administered by parents drawn from local school governing boards, lack transparency and accountability. And since Bill 40 was adopted five years ago, Education Minister Bernard Drainville has grabbed even more authority from service centres, like the power to appoint their directors general and overturn their decisions. The English school boards have already proven their management and control rights — twice. But the Legault government just won't let it go. Are they gluttons for punishment? Or is this merely a continuation of the pattern of antagonizing the English-speaking community? So often over two mandates in office, the premier or his ministers say one thing and do another. Legault claimed nothing would change for anglophones under Bill 96, yet there has been major upheaval. English colleges now have quotas for francophone and allophone students and new French course requirements, which has left them destabilized. English versions of government and public websites now have warnings about who is allowed to consult the content, which is an insult to intelligence. English court documents and decisions must be accompanied by French translations, which are costly and time-consuming, impeding access to justice. And these are just a few examples. The rights of anglophones are either complete afterthought or collateral damage. A year ago, when new rules on simultaneous translation of court judgments came into effect, a Quebec Court judge on the verge of presiding over an English criminal trial had to convene representatives of the prosecution service and attorney general's office to get basic information on how this was supposed to work. He was essentially told there was no plan and things were still being figured out. For his efforts, he was the subject of a complaint to the judicial council for overstepping his authority. He was later totally exonerated. His decision declaring the new regulations inoperable for English criminal trials is being appealed, however. The list of slights goes on and on. Yet concerns are frequently dismissed as the rantings of 'angryphones' acting like the world's most spoiled minority — until the government gets egg on its face over something truly ludicrous. Whether it's having to intervene on the Go Habs Go fiasco, override a library's decision not to allow an English book club to meet without simultaneous translation or rewriting the confusing health directives, each incident erodes trust. If Girard was at all serious about wanting to rebuild confidence with English-speaking Quebecers, there was one, simple, concrete gesture the government could have made that would have gone a long way and meant a lot in laying the groundwork for a truce: not appealing the Bill 40 ruling to the Supreme Court. Instead, the Legault government couldn't resist fighting a losing battle to the bitter end.
Global News
a day ago
- Business
- Global News
Quebec willing to listen to pipeline proposals, premier says
At a meeting of Canada's premiers in Saskatchewan, François Legault said he's willing to listen to proposals about a new pipeline through the province. He said any pipeline through the province would need to be approved by the government of Quebec. 'We need to see what's the economic impact back for Quebec, what is the impact on the environment,' he said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy This is a far cry from when Legault called Alberta's oil dirty back in 2018, saying there was no social acceptability for more of it flowing through Quebec Now, tariffs from the United States are threatening the Canadian economy, and Prime Minister Carney is talking about making Canada an energy superpower. 'If there's a project going to Quebec, we will study it,' he said. For the full story, watch the video above.
Montreal Gazette
6 days ago
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Legault wants Ottawa to pay for power line from Churchill Falls
Quebec Politics By QUEBEC — Premier François Legault wants Ottawa to pay for a new power line carrying energy from Newfoundland and Labrador to Quebec. Answering a question Thursday in the National Assembly, Legault revealed each Canadian premier plans to respond to Prime Minister Mark Carney's request for infrastructure projects at a meeting in Saskatoon Monday. 'I can tell you right now that my project is that the federal government finance a line transporting electricity between Newfoundland and Quebec,' Legault said responding to a question from Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal. The Globe and Mail reported Thursday that Carney plans to brief the premiers on his nation-building plans when they meet. Carney intends to present legislation to fast-track significant infrastructure projects through upfront regulatory approvals and remove all federal barriers to interprovincial trade. The proposed 'One Canadian Economy,' legislation has been shared with Indigenous communities. The goal is to get approval for all projects within a two-year time frame. During the election campaign, Carney pledged to run deeper deficits to grow spending on infrastructure to reduce Canada's dependence on the U.S. economy, a statement Legault and other Canadian premiers made note of. In a separate interview with the CBC Tuesday, Carney said he will ask first ministers to provide lists of infrastructure projects that could get up and running quickly. In their first conversation after Carney was elected in April, Legault revealed infrastructure money was among the subjects they discussed. And Legault believes he has an ideal candidate for federal money. In December 2024 he and then Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey reached a new deal for energy from the Churchill Falls power plant in Labrador. The deal included construction of a new power plant near the existing Churchill Falls plant and a run-of-the-river generating station at Gull Island in Labrador. The new deal also included new costs of a $2-billion to $3-billion transmission line in Quebec and Labrador. Legault, who has said he and Carney are on the same wavelength because they both are interested in the economy, heads Sunday to Saskatoon. Officials in Legault's office said later that 'Quebec will make representations for different projects,' including the power line. 'We will let the discussions take place in Saskatoon,' an aide to Legault said. The Quebec government Friday will also move to deflect criticism it is not doing enough to reduce trade barriers with the other provinces, another priority item for Carney in order to shore up the economy. Economy Minister Christopher Skeete, who has been working behind the scenes for months on the question, has given notice on the legislature's order paper of plans to present fresh legislation doing away with some costly barriers. To be tabled first thing Friday morning, the new bill will be called: 'An act to facilitate the trade of goods and the mobility of labour from the other provinces and the territories of Canada.' In an interview in March, Skeete revealed some of the scope of the plan, saying the measures will reduce red tape for funeral directors, real estate brokers and racehorse owners. The government is also looking to harmonize regulations on consumer goods with other provinces as part of a countrywide effort to boost internal trade. On Thursday, the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI), a think tank, published a study saying removing barriers between Quebec and the rest of Canada could grow the Canadian economy by $69.9 billion.
Montreal Gazette
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Mulcair: Liberals must heed lessons on connecting 'two Quebecs'
An environmental research team from McGill University made front-page news in the Journal de Montréal this past weekend about their discovery of massive environmental devastation stretching from the South Shore of Montreal to the U.S. border. The McGill team, styled 'Leadership for the Ecozoic,' had been studying the watershed of the Châteauguay River with colleagues from Vermont. Their landmark research revealed that the entire region had become a dumping ground for tens of thousands of truckloads of construction, demolition and other waste. The long-term damage to the environment, in particular to the underground water, is incalculable. This incredible work was not just important for the ecosystems, it is, to me, symbolic of a positive evolution I've been seeing in the institutions of the English-speaking community. Ever since the Legault government decided to undermine McGill and Concordia, I've noticed an enhanced presence of both universities at academic and research events. Their work has always been world class, but now, more than ever it seems, it's being connected to the wider community — and it's a good thing for the universities and for life here in Quebec. Over the past few months I've seen and heard researchers from McGill, Concordia and Bishops at conferences on the environment and on pressing social issues. The most recent ACFAS assizes included a thoughtful conference on Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on minority language education rights. ACFAS (founded in 1923 as the Association canadienne-française pour l'avancement des sciences) is the premier organization promoting research and science in French in Canada. To see QUESCREN (the Quebec English-speaking Communities Research Network) out of Concordia organizing a part of the activities was positively refreshing. To hear these complex legal and social issues being shared and discussed dispassionately and professionally was also more than welcome. This evolution opens onto the wider question of how we can connect the 'two Quebecs': greater Montreal, and the rest of the province dominated by the Coalition Avenir Québec in the last two provincial elections. Understanding that urban-rural divide is central to the race now taking place for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party. There are three main contenders: Karl Blackburn, former MNA from Roberval and Conseil du patronat head; Charles Milliard, a pharmacist and former head of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec; and Pablo Rodriguez, a former federal minister. Rodriguez has strong support within the QLP caucus that is dominated by Montrealers like himself. Unfortunately for the Liberals, the entire province gets to decide the result of the next election, not just Montreal. Watching their first debate in Laval early this month I was struck by how little Rodriguez seemed to know about Quebec and its institutions. He was the only participant who was obliged to constantly flip through a binder of notes to find something to say, and it's easy to understand: He spent his entire career in Ottawa. It now appears clear that no one will win on the first round of voting. The rules of this leadership contest provide that only the two top finishers will take part in the run-off vote, and that provides hope for a candidate who can speak to all of Quebec. Milliard has rallied a lot of support from the youth wing, but Blackburn's numbers appear the most promising for a second-round win, owing to his widespread popularity in the regions. The QLP is a large tent that brings together federalists of very different stripes. It includes many Quebecers who vote Conservative or NDP federally. To win, the QLP cannot be seen to be the federal Liberal party in Quebec; otherwise, votes will again peel off to the Quebec Conservatives and Québec solidaire. It would be nice to see our universities' spirit of openness to working with the wider Quebec society pierce the wall of the QLP Montreal caucus.
