PQ leader Plamondon publishes pitch to anglos
Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon published an open letter to English-speaking residents of Quebec in the National Post on Aug. 11, calling for improved cooperation between English-speaking and French-speaking residents. “Quebec certainly deserves better than what we’ve seen in the last eight years,” the letter says, referencing the Coalition Avenir Québéc’s time in power.
Plamondon lists a lack of purchasing power, struggles providing services in health care and education, as well as infrastructure delays as things that all Quebecers are experiencing, regardless of language. Plamondon added that the “Parti Québécois is the party of all Quebecers,” and includes English-speaking residents in its vision of a “country of Quebec.” The letter does not explicitly mention the party’s commitment to launching a third referendum on the province’s sovereignty.
On Aug. 18, however, Plamondon published a statement on social media committing to not holding a referendum as long as Donald Trump is president.
Montreal police officer did not shoot civilian in mass shooting, contradicting earlier reports
New reporting from La Presse says the bullets that killed bystander Michael Mizrahy during a shooting on Cote-des-Neiges Boulevard in Montreal on June 22 belonged to gunman Seth Scott Hatfield. This contradicts earlier reporting from La Presse, which reported that a Montreal police officer had shot twice in Mizrahi’s direction. Videos posted to social media following the shooting appeared to show the female officer turn with her gun raised toward Mizrahi.
The recent La Presse article said anonymous sources had access to a report from the Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale (LSJML), which found that the bullets found inside of Mizrahy were of the same calibre as the ones used by Hatfield.
Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador enter new Churchill Falls deal
Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador announced a new agreement on Churchill Falls that will give N.L. more power, money and access to Quebec’s electricity grid. The deal will see $10 billion in federal financing expand the Churchill Falls generating station, tripling its current generating capacity, CBC News reported. The agreement replaces the controversial 1969 Churchill Falls contract and updates a 2024 memorandum of understanding between Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and Hydro-Québec. N.L. Hydro estimates the deal will be worth $49 billion to the province, up from $36 billion under the previous agreement. The deal will guarantee N.L. access to 985 mW of Hydro-Québec’s transmission network, allowing it to sell power to international markets. Hydro-Québec will receive up to 6,915 mW of power, while the price it pays for this power will rise from 0.2 cents per kilowatt-hour to 1.8 cents next year, eventually reaching 11.5 cents in 2041.
