Legault tells party's youth wing Quebec voters elected a nationalist party
CBC
Quebec Premier François Legault delivered a nationalist speech to his party's youth wing today, capping off a weekend-long convention where he touted cohesion in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This is not the time in Quebec to divide," Legault said. "It's time to defend our social cohesion."
Legault told the Coalition Avenir Québec convention in the provincial capital he sees the party as a fortress against the more radical elements of society, including those who oppose COVID-19 health measures and vaccines.
He answered his party members' questions during the event, but refused to speak to media on site.
Legault told party members that voters who elected the Coalition Avenir Québec in 2018 voted for a nationalist party that would defend the province's French language and values.
"We are the party in Quebec who stands up for our nation," Legault said, adding that his party would be the nationalist party in the upcoming provincial election in 2022.
The premier has faced backlash recently from critics who accused him of telling Quebecers who to vote for in Monday's federal election, after he called the Liberals "dangerous" for Quebec and strongly suggested he would prefer a Conservative minority government.