CAQ Leader Francois Legault arrives with his wife Isabelle Brais fo the Quebec elections leaders debate Montreal, Sept. 20, 2018.Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press
The Leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec has come to the defence of his wife after she was caught on tape making disparaging comments about the intellect of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The unflattering remarks could be awkward for the CAQ Leader, François Legault, who has made campaign pledges that would require negotiating with Ottawa for greater powers for Quebec.
“My wife, who I’ve been with for 28 years, is an independent woman who has her opinions and is spontaneous,” Mr. Legault said while campaigning on Wednesday. He noted that his wife, Isabelle Brais, had apologized.
Ms. Brais, a steady presence during Mr. Legault’s campaign, had been invited last month to a party event in the affluent Montreal community of Westmount, which lies in an overwhelmingly Liberal riding. Answering a question about whether Canada might reopen constitutional talks, Ms. Brais dismissed the possibility under the current federal Liberal government.
“It will not be possible with Justin Trudeau,” she is reported to have answered. “His father was brilliant, but he’s not.”
Mr. Legault refused to tell reporters whether he shared his wife’s views about Mr. Trudeau and his father, the late prime minister Pierre Trudeau. “I’m not in a position to judge who’s the most brilliant of the two,” Mr. Legault said.
Ms. Brais’s remarks, which were recorded and reported in La Presse, came in the home stretch of an election that has seen the party leaders descend more into trading barbs and personal attacks than debating substantive issues.
The CAQ is tied with the Quebec Liberals in the latest poll, but the party is projected to win more seats because of its lead among francophone voters.
One of Mr. Legault’s pitches to francophone voters, whose numbers in crucial ridings sway the outcome of provincial elections, has been to frame immigration as a threat to the survival of the French language. Mr. Legault has campaigned to reduce immigration by 20 per cent and expel newcomers who fail to learn French within three years of arriving in the province.
Mr. Legault has tried to soft-pedal the proposal as it came under criticism, saying that immigrants would be able to retake the language and culture tests. But either way, the policy – a centrepiece of his campaign to be Quebec’s next premier – would require negotiating with the federal government, which maintains responsibility for citizenship and has final say on immigration issues.
Mr. Legault argues that whatever party wins the federal election next year would have to listen to Quebec’s demands.
But Jean-François Godbout, a political-science professor at the Université de Montréal, said it’s not at all certain that Ottawa would be ready to negotiate agreements with Quebec that involve ceding powers on immigration.
Should Mr. Legault win next Monday’s election, the comments about Mr. Trudeau aren’t likely to make much difference, Prof. Godbout added.
“Mr. Trudeau is used to being insulted,” he said. “Look at what [U.S. President Donald Trump] has said about him.” (The U.S. President called the Prime Minister “very dishonest and weak” after the Group of Seven Summit in Quebec this summer.)
Prof. Godbout added: “There is probably a certain percentage of Quebeckers who agree” with what Ms. Brais said.
Mr. Trudeau got some support from an unusual corner. Parti Québécois Leader Jean-François Lisée called the remarks about Mr. Trudeau “counterproductive.” He noted that the Liberal Leader remains highly popular in Quebec and it’s a mistake to underestimate him.
“Justin Trudeau became Leader of the Liberal Party, and Prime Minister of Canada,” Mr. Lisée said. “He must be doing something right.”