Paul St-Pierre Plamondon argued that the federal government had engaged in negotiations with the European Union directly affecting Quebec without consulting or giving it a place at the table. He said this approach contrasted with previous negotiations on the free trade area with the EU and reminded that Quebec had, in his view, played a pioneering role in supporting NAFTA. The leader of the Parti Québécois also reproached the federal government for wanting to impose economic decisions falling under Quebec’s jurisdiction, breaking with the Gérin-Lajoie doctrine. He condemned the fact that the Quebec premier was unable to speak at an event held in Quebec, and deemed insufficient the opportunity that may have been granted to him to influence Quebec interests by allowing cocktail shrimp service at a reception. Plamondon believed that this situation represented a lack of respect and a setback for Quebec's autonomy. He described the vision of Canada defended by Mark Carney as centralizing, even unitarian, and claimed it reduced the provinces to a role of observers in discussions affecting their interests and responsibilities. He recalled that Pierre Falardeau denounced, in "Le Temps des bouffons", the subordinate place of Quebecers in relation to financial elites, and mentioned the struggle for Quebec to decide its own development, notably under Jean Lesage, René Lévesque, Jacques Parizeau, and Bernard Landry. He concluded that Quebec must participate in decisions that defended its interests. #Québec #Autonomie #Démocratie (translated)
