Blanchet mocks Carney, Poilievre appearances on Tout le monde en parle
Carney had answers to questions about Quebec culture, while Poilievre mentioned a chat with Lucien Bouchard
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Yves-François Blanchet took issue on Monday with Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney’s appearances on Tout le monde en parle, questioning Poilievre’s use of Lucien Bouchard’s name and suggesting Carney lacks a solid grasp of Quebec issues.
Appearing on the popular Radio-Canada talk show on Sunday, Carney, the Liberal leader, mentioned singer Coeur de pirate when asked about Quebec artists.
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He also knew that the show’s host, Guy A. Lepage, was once in the Quebec comedy troupe Rock et Belles Oreilles.
Doesn’t that show Carney has at least some knowledge of Quebec culture, Blanchet, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, was asked at a press conference in Quebec City.
“In a very short time, I can learn the words ‘Wayne Gretzky,’ ‘Margaret Atwood’ and who knows what else — that doesn’t mean anything,” he answered.
“You take someone, prep them for a day, tell them to take three days off from campaigning and teach them 12 words in French — I don’t think that proves anything at all.”
Blanchet said the real test for Carney will come Wednesday night at the leaders’ French-language debate.
“It’s going to be harder for (Carney) to prepare for the direct questions he’s going to get,” he said. “We’ll see then what he really knows about Quebec’s reality, because that’s when I’ll be questioning him more intensively.”
Carney has been criticized in Quebec for declining an invitation to appear on TVA’s separate French-language leaders’ debate and mistakenly referring to the 1989 Polytechnique massacre as “shootings at Concordia.”
During a separate appearance on Tout le monde en parle Sunday, Poilievre, the leader of the Conservatives, invoked the name of Lucien Bouchard, the former federal Conservative minister who broke with the party and formed the separatist Bloc Québécois in 1990.
Poilievre was asked about his efforts to transform his public persona, shifting from an abrasive image to one that is more approachable.
“I talked to Lucien Bouchard,” Poilievre said. “And he said, ‘Pierre, you come from humble beginnings. You had to fight for everything you have, so you’re a fighter.’”
Blanchet accused Poilievre of implying Bouchard could be sympathetic to the Conservatives.
“Mr. Poilievre tried to suggest that he was buddy-buddy with Mr. Bouchard,” Blanchet told reporters.
Blanchet added: “Just to be clear — it’s a damn good idea to have a chat with Mr. Bouchard if you run into him and want some advice, because he’s a man of great wisdom and experience.
“But suggesting a closeness — that’s a different tactic. And just so we’re all aware: Mr. Bouchard is a donor to the Bloc Québécois.”
Over the past decade, Bouchard has contributed exclusively to the Bloc, according to Elections Canada’s political donations database. His most recent donation — $500 — was made in December.
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