Editor,

The leader of the PQ, PSPP, has put Quebec sovereignty at the top of his political agenda and aspirations in this provincial election. This is curious because the PQ is arising from the ashes of defeat in the last election. This is surprising because Plamondon does not have a track record of success in getting things done for the people of Quebec. I’d have thought that it was important to first show that you have the smarts, the grasp of political machinery, and are capable of understanding the many varied ethnic and language communities that make up Quebec, before you engage the whole of Quebec in a whirlwind referendum on sovereignty.

But in these turbulent times, when speech counts more than action and accountability, it is not unexpected. PSPP wants to counter the fact that some students in French schools speak English in the hallways. In protecting the French language – which is clearly not threatened by Quebec’s anglophones – PSPP ignores the ominous threats coming from Quebec’s southern neighbour. For sure, if Canada were to lose its sovereignty, the use of French in Quebec would be just an asterisk in the history books. It is dismaying that there have been no clear guarantees about health care, the homeless, better affordable access for home ownership by the young, more investment in infrastructure and economics, in this election. So much to do, so misguided by the leaders.

Carl Hager, Gatineau