Federal Liberal Leader Mark Carney is promising to ensure a place for Quebecers “at the decision-making table” if he wins the election.
“Not stage managers,” he said during a speech on Thursday, mostly in French, at a partisan rally in Old Montreal.
According to Carney’s campaign team, some 1,400 people turned out for the occasion.
The outgoing prime minister tailored his message for the evening’s audience, repeatedly attacking the Bloc Québécois in addition to his usual remarks aimed at Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
“The Bloc doesn’t take the threat seriously,” he argued, referring to the tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to Carney, Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet “has no plan,” while Poilievre would be “the worst person at the worst time.”
He also criticized the Conservative leader for refusing to fund the Quebec City tramway project if elected.
All the same, Trump was Carney’s main target throughout his speech.
“President Trump acts as if Canada isn’t a real country,” he lamented, referring to the idea that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.
The Liberal leader was quick to assert that in the United States, “there will never be a place for the French language.”
Repeating what he said a few hours earlier in Ottawa, Carney argued that the relationship between the U.S. and Canada will never be the same again because of broken trust.
“It may be that with ‘comprehensive’ negotiations we can restore an element of trust, but there will be no going back,” he declared.
The former central bank governor once again described himself as a “pragmatist,” but this time added that he was “in a hurry.”
He listed the actions he’s taken since becoming prime minister in mid-March, mentioning, in particular, that he had repealed the capital gains tax hike promised by his predecessor, Justin Trudeau.
“We’ve accomplished more in nine days than Pierre Poilievre did in 20 years in the House of Commons,” he said.
The outgoing prime minister resumed his election campaign activities on Thursday after putting them on hold to focus on the government’s response to the U.S. threat of new tariffs.
Some 30 Liberal candidates from the metropolitan region were in attendance, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly, former Minister Marc Miller and Polytechnique massacre survivor Nathalie Provost.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 28, 2024.
