Legault speaks about French identity in Montreal, Quebec, during final question period speech | CBC News

François Legault appeared Thursday morning in parliament for his final question period as prime minister before leaving office next week.

He will remain MNA for L’Assomption after the Parti Avenir Québec selects his successor as party leader and prime minister on April 12.

Legault told reporters as he entered Parliament on Thursday that the moment was emotional and “not easy.”

“Life is about relationships with people, and that’s the hardest thing to do – to be away from people,” he said, adding that the sentiment also applied to reporters who were there.

He shook hands with several people and wished them luck before entering question period.

When asked if this was a final farewell, he laughed and replied, “Yes.”

Mr. Legault’s premiership was driven, among other things, by a desire to protect the French language and Quebec’s identity, which he often achieved through legislation targeting immigration.

One such bill, Bill 9, which would introduce a new layer of secularism in Quebec by banning public child care workers from wearing religious symbols at work and banning most public prayers, was adopted after a question period Thursday.

Quebec’s sweeping secularism law, Bill 21, is currently before the Supreme Court of Canada.

Legault ‘worried’ about Montreal in last speech

After a series of tributes from opposition MPs, Legault took a moment to reflect on his time as prime minister.

He said one of his biggest regrets was that his father, who died at a young age, never got to see his accomplishments. Mr. Legault said his career was made possible because of his education, and emphasized that it is his number one priority.

He spoke about Quebec’s role in the economy and said much work still needs to be done to protect Quebec’s industries from competition from other parts of Canada, especially the United States.

“The truth is that despite everything we’ve done, there are still fewer entrepreneurs in Quebec today who have the wherewithal to invest in large-scale projects than in other parts of Canada,” he said, adding that the province still needs funding for the Quebec government’s ambitions.

Legault then turned his attention to issues of identity. Four centuries ago, he said, it was unlikely that French would survive this long in Canada.

“When I look at Montreal, I get worried,” he said. “There is a decline, and I think every member of Congress here has a responsibility to reverse that decline.”

Regarding immigration, he said Quebec has the right to uphold its values.

“It’s true that our country is developing, but we have the right to want Quebec to remain Quebec.”

He ended his speech by pointing out the instability of today’s politics and talking about hope.

“I understand that people are worried and pessimistic, but we have to be careful not to become cynical,” he said. “Cynicism cannot replace hope.”

Opposition leader emphasizes Legault’s love for Quebec

During a vigil for the outgoing premier, Quebec Liberal Party legislative leader Andre Fortin called Mr. Legault a “man of the times” who “gave everything to Quebecers at a very difficult time in our history.”

“Never before have Quebecers been so fascinated by the words of their political leaders every day,” he said.

Leuba Ghazal, co-spokesperson for Quebec Solidaire, said Legault was in CEGEP when she first entered Quebec politics in 1998 as an MNA for the Parti Québécois (PQ).

He served under the party’s banner until 2009, returning to politics in 2011 as founder and leader of CAQ after a brief hiatus. When he became premier in 2018, he broke the previous dominance of the Liberal Party and Pexists in Quebec politics.

“You literally wrote Quebec’s recent history,” said Ghazal, whose Legault is up for re-election in 2022.

For PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, Legault’s genuine love for Quebec was never in doubt.

He said the prime minister guaranteed Quebec’s collective autonomy within Canada and inspired Quebecers to “dream better” and lift their heads up.

St-Pierre Plamondon said Legault normalized the debate about Quebec’s political future when he became premier. At the time, Quebec was under “a government that denied the instability of the French language and was increasingly suspicious of defending our identity.”

In addition to praising Legault’s success in founding a new party and forming a government within seven years, St-Pierre Plamondon also praised Legault’s courage and work ethic during the past eight years, when several “extraordinary” events have rocked geopolitics.

“We are confident that this does not end our deep commitment to Quebec,” he said.

The future of CAQ

The two candidates to replace Legault as party leader and prime minister are Christine Fréchette and Bernard Delinville.

Speaking outside Parliament, he said it was Legault who persuaded him to return to politics in 2022. He previously served as MNA for Marie-Victorin under the Parti Quebecois banner from 2007 to 2016.

“Even those who don’t like him have to admit that creating a new party hasn’t been done since René Lévesque,” Delinville said, referring to the PQ founder.

Mr. Frechette agreed, saying that the creation of CAQ was perhaps Mr. Legault’s greatest legacy.

“In my opinion, this is the party that best reflects the image of the people of Quebec,” she said.

As the state counts down to October elections, a big question is whether the CAQ can survive without Legault at the helm.