The leader of the Party Québecois acknowledged that his statement on the flag of Quebec, which should not have been half-masted for the death of Queen Elizabeth II, was “very spontaneous” and that the moment was “poorly chosen”.
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Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon’s remarks, posted on Twitter in the hours after the Queen’s death was announced, also instructed the prime minister, François Legault, “not to regard the Queen of England as the head of state of Quebec and Nor lend credibility to an illegitimate British. Colonial rule in Quebec”.
“I admit I had a very instinctive reaction and chose the wrong moment, but in my mind, at the time, I was addressing the government of Quebec,” he said on the sidelines of an announcement on dilapidated schools in Montreal on Friday. But said.. If it has hurt people, it was not my intention.
He recalls that his first statement yesterday was to express his condolences to the royal family and the British. He further said that the British Crown institution would have to be discussed during the election campaign, but not today. “Let’s agree that today, that’s not what we’re going to talk about,” he said.
He nevertheless clarified that his opinion on the matter has not changed. “I, I do not take the decision taken by François Legault and the government of Quebec. If I'[avais été] time [premier ministre]It goes without saying that I would have sent someone to the funeral […]But I would not have lowered the flag.”
The flag was lowered on the Central Tower of the National Assembly this year for the deaths of hockey players Mike Bossi and Guy Lafleur, as well as for the National Day of Remembrance in memory of the victims of COVID-19.
The same was the case with the death of Jacques Chirac, the former President of the French Republic in 2019 or John Turner, the former Prime Minister of Canada in 2020.
Questioned by a journalist about former PQ Premier Bernard Landry, who had raised the flag for the death of the Queen Mother and the Queen’s sister in 2002, he replied: “I never discussed that argument with Bernard Landry. That which inspired him to do so. That”.
