Ontario premier says election of a separatist party in Quebec would be a ‘disaster’

Ontario Premier Doug Ford dipped his toe into Quebec provincial politics Wednesday, suggesting that the election of a separatist party in Quebec would be a ‘disaster’ for Canada.

Ford was speaking at a joint news conference with New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt before a meeting of provincial premiers.

That will likely be current Quebec Premier François Legault’s final first ministers’ meeting, as Legault announced earlier this month he would be resigning as premier once his party selects a new leader.

With the Parti Québécois (PQ)’s Paul St-Pierre Plamondon leading handily in opinion polls ahead of the fall provincial election, Ford and Holt were asked what it might be like to sit around the first ministers’ table with a separatist premier.

“It’d be a disaster for our country if the separatists got elected. It’s as simple as that. We have to be a united Canada right now,” Ford said.

“There’s never been a more important time in our history to make sure that we stand shoulder to shoulder, united,” he continued.

“Not only it’ll be good for Canada, it will be good for Quebecers,” Ford said.

Holt and other premiers responded along the same lines, albeit somewhat more diplomatically.

“Because of everything that’s happening, this current uncertainty, we shouldn’t contribute to the economic and social uncertainty. It’s a time to strengthen ourselves together,” Holt said.

“New Brunswick would like to see Quebec as a good neighbour, a good partner within Canada,” she said.

Nova Scotia’s premier also weighed in Wednesday.

“I’m on team Canada and I love this country and I believe in this country and I like this country the way it is,” Tim Houston said in Ottawa.

“We have to recognize that there are people with grievances and accepting those grievances and trying to work through them is really important,” he said.

British Columbia Premier David Eby said for him and British Columbians, “there’s really only one path forward for Canadians, and that’s through a unified country.”

“Now is the time for us all to pull together. And that’s the case whether it’s Alberta, Quebec or anywhere else,” he added.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew emphasized the links between Quebec and Manitoba’s francophone population.

“There’s a place for the nation of Quebec within Canada,” Kinew said, adding that he would work with whoever Quebecers choose as their premier.

PQ popular in Quebec, sovereignty less so

The comments come as Quebec politics are undergoing a seismic shift in the months leading up to the expected fall election.

Legault’s resignation means his governing and hugely unpopular Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) party is looking for a new leader.

The opposition Liberal Party of Quebec is also looking for a new leader, after the short-lived tenure of Pablo Rodriguez.

That makes St-Pierre Plamondon the longest-serving leader among major provincial parties. Under his leadership, the PQ has been dominating in public opinion polls in recent months and has racked up a series of byelection victories.

St-Pierre Plamondon has promised to launch a referendum on Quebec independence within the first mandate of a potential PQ government.

His popularity among voters does not necessarily translate into a fervour for independence.

Opinion polls generally show that about two-thirds of Quebecers would vote against the idea of an independent Quebec, although a recent uptick in support for sovereignty among younger voters has been encouraging for the PQ.

A spokesperson for St-Pierre Plamondon said the PQ leader wouldn’t respond to the comments Wednesday, but may do so at a later date.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves–François Blanchet said he wasn’t surprised by Ford’s comments, and he fired back.

“The other Canadian provinces are colonies of Ontario. The Canadian economy is built around the Ontario economy,” Blanchet said.

“If Doug Ford catches a cold, the Prime Minister scuttles off to Ontario,” he said.

“The day when Quebecers will separate, what we will separate from first and foremost is Ontario.”