Unfortunately for Couillard and the provincial Liberals, the Liberals’ federal leader Trudeau’s doubling down on wrongfully calling his critics intolerant, racist and fascist, over the illegal immigrant crisis
Trudeau Just Killed the Quebec Liberals’ 2018 Election
During a recent speech in Saint-Jean-sur- Richelieu Prime Minister Trudeau publicly verbally bashed an elderly female Quebec senior. This brave woman had the temerity to ask Trudeau, when will his government pay back the $146 million dollars of Quebec taxpayer money that have been incurred to support Trudeau’s illegal immigrants who have entered Quebec illegally across the Quebec border from the United States.
Trudeau’s public shaming of this French Canadian woman and the physical manhandling of this senior citizen by Trudeau’s security detail ( see RCMP plainclothes goons), were all captured on video, distributed on Twitter and covered extensively by the Quebec mainstream press. The result. Trudeau’s actions have driven the final nail in the Quebec Liberals’ chances for re-election in this upcoming October 1 provincial election.
Currently with about five weeks to go, the Quebec opposition party CAQ ( Coalition Avenir Quebec) is cruising to a majority government with the support of about 41% of French Quebecers ( vs 25% French Quebecers for the Liberals) holding a seven point lead overall- over the Liberals.
Philippe Couillard, the Quebec Liberal leader, had hoped that CAQ missteps during the actual election campaign would close the gap.
Instead, Couillard has to deal with his own Liberal federal leader botching and befouling the Liberal brand in Quebec.
Notwithstanding a buoyant Quebec economy, Legault’s CAQ surged ahead of the Liberals last summer, in part as a result of the uncontrolled influx of illegal immigrants into Quebec which placed a heavy burden on services in Montreal. Many illegal migrants had to be temporarily housed in the former Olympic stadium.
Opposition to this continuous influx of illegal migrants has been growing among the majority francophone and minority non-francophone Quebec population led by the CAQ and PQ opposition parties.
CAQ leader Francois Legault said Quebec's border "shouldn't leak like a sieve" and the Liberal party is "sending a very bad message to illegal migrants by opening up its arms (to them)."
PQ Leader Jean-Francois Lisee said Couillard and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should suspend the international agreement forcing the federal government to accept the asylum seekers.
Unwelcome questions have been raised as to the costs to the Quebec taxpayers- to house, feed, educate and provide healthcare services.
Popular Quebec opinion has forced Couillard to demand that the Trudeau government relocate this constant influx of illegal border crossers into Quebec to Ontario. And to demand repayment of $146 million of Quebec taxpayer money incurred to support these illegal immigrants to date.
The Liberal Couillard government literally sent a bill to the Trudeau government for the said $146 million owing to Quebec taxpayers.
In effect, this courageous French Quebec senior was just freely expressing the view of Trudeau’s own Quebec provincial liberal wing when she publicly challenged Trudeau; “Quand allez-vous nous remettre les 146 millions qu'on a payés pour vos immigrants illégaux? (“When are you going to remit the $146 million dollars we paid for your illegal immigrants?”)
Columnist Richard Martineau, writing in the popular and populist Montreal newspaper Journal de Montreal, heavily criticized Trudeau for calling this long time senior Quebec resident and citizen, intolerant towards immigrants, and in effect, a racist. For asking the same question about reimbursement being asked by the Quebec Liberal government and the Ontario Conservative government for that matter.
In contrast ,Liberal Premier Couillard has tried to distance himself from Trudeau’s playing the race card.
Couillard has publicly stated individuals or groups who opposed “illegal immigrants” are part of society and freedom of expression allows such people to utter what he called stupidities. Couillard believed his role was to respond with measured comments that were based on compassion, wisdom and truth.
Couillard, sensing he was facing probable electoral defeat as a result of 15 years of continuous Quebec Liberal rule, wanted to shift the narrative in the political campaign to Quebec’s economic recovery.
Unfortunately for Couillard and the provincial Liberals, the Liberals’ federal leader Trudeau’s doubling down on wrongfully calling his critics intolerant, racist and fascist, over the illegal immigrant crisis, has apparently and fatally tarnished the Liberal brand and just sealed the provincial Liberals’ fate in this Quebec provincial election.
Mitch Wolfe, a graduate of Harvard University, is the author of “Trump: How He Captured The Trump White House”, which he wrote and had published prior to the election. (available on Amazon.com)
