Dumont under attack in Que. leaders' debate

Sparks flew as Quebec's three leaders squared off Tuesday night in a nationally televised debate highlighting sovereignty, health-care and economic issues in the provincial election campaign.

There was no clear winner or loser in the debate, which will likely not tip the balance in what has become a tight three-way election race. 

Action Démocratique Leader Mario Dumont speaks to reporters at a news conference after the leaders' debate in Quebec City on Tuesday.
(Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press)

Action Démocratique du Québec Leader Mario Dumont, who is enjoying healthy mid-campaign polls, was the prime target during most of the evening, as opponents Jean Charest and André Boisclair tried to poke holes in his platform in a bid to discredit their rival.

Dumont tried to defuse attacks from the start by putting a $1.7-billion price tag on his electoral platform, promising details after the federal budget is tabled later in March, before the March 26 Quebec election.

But he dodged attacks from Charest, who called Dumont a one-man show, and the Parti Québécois's Boisclair, who accused Dumont of being wishy-washy. 

'Quebec is better than in 2003.'—Liberal Leader Jean Charest

Charest focused on Quebec's gains during his government's mandate.

"Quebec is better than in 2003. We are no longer the most taxed in North America, and we no longer send our sick to the United States for treatment."

PQ's sovereignty plan 'most radical ever': Charest

On the question of Quebec's future, Dumont underlined the ADQ's autonomist position, which, he said, is an approach in which the province "affirms itself without separating." The ADQ would write a new constitution for Quebec and decentralize power, he said.

Boisclair demanded to know what powers Dumont would get from the federal government. Dumont replied Quebecers don't want Boisclair's vision of sovereignty.

"Don't count on me to help you organize a referendum. You're living in your dreams," Dumont said.

Boisclair played up the PQ's pledge to hold a sovereignty referendum which, he said, will give Quebec control of its resources and ensure its position internationally.  

Charest said Boisclair's program is the "most radical the PQ has ever presented," and said Quebecers aren't interested. "Do we really want to replay the old referendum movie?"

Charest repeated the traditional federalist mantra that Quebec is stronger within Canada than on its own.

Under Liberal power, he said, Quebec has won many battles, including a plum deal on the environment and formal recognition as a nation in the House of Commons.

He also threw a jab at Dumont, who is a one-man show, in Charest's estimation. "Can we trust a party that doesn't have a team?"

'You're more popular in Winnipeg than in Montmagny.'—ADQ Leader Mario Dumont to Charest

Dumont accused the Liberal leader of having designs to eventually run for federal office.

"You're more popular in Winnipeg than in Montmagny," he said.

Boisclair called Charest a lacklustre Liberal premier with no vision for Quebec, and no demands in Ottawa.

Charest's health record under attack

Charest admitted there is no "perfect solution" for Quebec's overstretched health-care system, but reiterated: "We've done everything that is humanly possible."

The Liberal leader acknowledged the system is still beset with problems, the greatest being a shortage of nurses and doctors, a situation "that was created by the last PQ government."

Dumont took Charest and Boisclair to task for letting hospital emergency rooms overflow and leaving patients in the hallways.

"All the ministers, Liberal and Péquiste, have broken their teeth on health-care issues," Dumont said.

He fleshed out his party's proposals for a mixed health-care system, in which private clinics would complement "health co-operatives," with the goal of treating the ill within medically accepted times.

Quebec Liberal Leader Jean Charest, left, and Parti Québécois Leader André Boisclair take on each other during the leaders' debate in Quebec City.
(Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

Boisclair harped on Charest, accusing him of not keeping his promises from the 2003 election on health-care waiting lists. The PQ leader also trotted out statistics on overloaded hospital ERs, including one in Charest's home riding of Sherbrooke.

Dumont caught everyone by surprise when he pulled out a document he claimed was from the Transport Ministry. He said it warned of cracks and fissures in the Laval Concorde overpass a year before it collapsed in September 2006, killing five people.

The ADQ leader waved the document around and demanded to know why Charest didn't act to fix the overpass.

The debate's moderator, Jacques Moisan, chastized Dumont repeatedly for trying to show the document on television, while Charest replied to Dumont's peppering, saying he had no idea what the ADQ leader was talking about.

Charest encouraged him to give the papers to the commission investigating the collapse.

"Pulling a rabbit out of your hat like that, it's not in a debate that we're going to solve this," he said. "Never has my government taken any risk with public safety."

Leaders spar over the economy

Boisclair took Charest to task for not reducing taxes and allowing thousands of jobs to bleed from the manufacturing sector.

Charest returned to his government's economic accomplishments, such as shrinking the public sector and investing in Quebec's hydro energy industry.

Dumont accused both the PQ and the Liberals of fudging Quebec's debt figures, and charged Charest with increasing the province's deficit during his reign as premier.

'Tell me what laws and rules do you want to wipe out?'—PQ's André Boisclair to Dumont on the environment

Boisclair focused on economic development in the regions, where, he said, the Liberals neglected Quebecers' welfare by not intervening in mill closures.

Boisclair had choice words for both Charest and Dumont on environmental issues, accusing the ADQ leader of wanting to weaken Quebec's Environment Ministry.

"Tell me what laws and rules do you want to wipe out?" Boisclair asked Dumont.

The PQ leader also accused Charest of failing to help Quebec's beleaguered forestry industry. The Liberal leader replied it was in crisis because of poor management under past sovereigntist governments, but that it is recovering.

Charest underlined his government's action on climate change. He blamed Boisclair for not participating in a commission on greenhouse gas emissions.

Dumont said it's urgent to act on environmental issues, and the ADQ would develop a "gradual strategy."

Family and education

Dumont focused on the ADQ's "common sense" approach to family and education, including non-taxable child allowances and abolishing school boards that would give money to families instead of bureaucracies.

The Liberal leader asked Dumont how he planned to pay for these policies. 

"It's contradictory, for someone who calls him an autonomist, to have to wait on the federal budget to decide on its election promises."

Charest said Quebec's parental leave program has helped contribute to the province's highest birth rate increase in years.

Boisclair promised to maintain a freeze on tuition and $7 day care while creating 20,000 spots.

Dumont accused Boisclair of abandoning families who can't get spots in public day cares, an attack the PQ leader said his ADQ rival has no authority to make because he still doesn't have a financial framework for his policies.

Overall Election Results

Party	Elected	Leading	Total	Vote Share
LIB	48	0	48	33.08%
ADQ	41	0	41	30.80%
PQ	36	0	36	28.32%
QS	0	0	0	3.65%
GRN	0	0	0	3.89%
OTH	0	0	0	.26%
Last Update:March 27, 12:52:21 AM EDT