Jacques Parizeau has officially withdrawn from the Quebec election campaign. The former premier's final stop campaigning for the Parti Québécois was at the Lévis-Lauzon CEGEP.

Before speaking to students at the CEGEP, Parizeau issued a written statement saying this would be his last stop.

Former premier Jacques Parizeau
Former premier Jacques Parizeau

In the statement, Parizeau says Liberal leader Jean Charest's comments in Monday's debate were aggressive and unethical.

The comments

The former premier has been stung by comments he made Monday in Shawinigan about the 1995 referendum.

Parizeau restated his statement blaming ethnic people and money for the Yes side's 1995 referendum loss to a student audience in Shawinigan.

On the evening of October 30, 1995, Parizeau told thousands of disappointed sovereignists that the reason they lost the referendum on Quebec sovereignty was because of "money and the ethnic vote."

In Monday night's televised leaders' debate, Liberal leader Jean Charest came down hard on the Parti Québécois, and brought to light the fact that Parizeau had repeated those comments that very day during a speech in Shawinigan, Que.

Parizeau said the vote of the "ethnic community" has traditionally not sided with the sovereignists and that the trend is changing, and that the children of immigrants vote "like us."

Parizeau said Wednesday Charest twisted his words to gain political points, but he doesn't want to be at the centre of a political game during this campaign, and his involvement would no longer help the PQ.

At the CEGEP, when Parizeau opened the floor to questions from the students, the first question was why he was withdrawing. Parizeau brushed it off and asked for the next question.

He was equally blunt with reporters following his speech Wednesday morning, saying everything he has to say is in the statement he released.

Landry nudges Parizeau

On Tuesday, Landry made a veiled suggestion that Parizeau should get out of the election campaign.

Landry says the former premier has admitted he regretted his original comments about money and the ethnic vote in 1995. Landry says there was nothing wrong with Parizeau rehashing the subject.

However, Landry suggested it may be better for Parizeau to drop plans for more election appearances.

Until the debate, Landry and the PQ controlled the evolution of this campaign.

Landry is now trying to get back on the rails and put the Parizeau incident behind him.

Landry returned to his standard campaign speech urging 100 PQ supporters to ignore the polls and take nothing for granted. Now, that message takes on new meaning.