Quebec Premier François Legault believes that his MNA for Abitibi-Est, Pierre Dufour, did the right thing by apologizing. (File photo)
Premier François Legault believes that the CAQ MP for Abitibi-Est, Pierre Dufour, did the right thing by apologizing after making controversial remarks concerning Aboriginal peoples and the Viens commission last week during a meeting last week. #x27;a session of the municipal council of Val-d'Or.
Questioned on this issue at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, the chief caquist was quite brief. He apologized and he did well to apologize, Mr. Legault said.
Recall that on May 15, Pierre Dufour publicly defended the representatives of the City of Val-d'Or during a meeting of the municipal council where nearly 80 citizens had filled the room to express their anger at the increase violence downtown. Mr. Dufour lamented the way Mayor Céline Brindamour was handling homelessness and crime issues downtown.
Mr. Dufour also denigrated the report of the show Enquêteof Radio-Canada on Aboriginal women, in addition to criticizing the Viens commission, responsible for examining relations between Aboriginal people and certain public services.
For its part, Quebec solidaire (QS) demands the resignation of Pierre Dufour as deputy for Abitibi-Est. The opposition party thus echoes the demands made Monday by the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador.
Through a publication on her Facebook page, Manon Massé, co-spokesperson for QS, believes that despite her apologies, the comments made by Mr. Dufour regarding the Viens Commission and Aboriginal women are harmful to reconciliation efforts with the Indigenous peoples of Quebec.
Manon Massé, co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, calls for the resignation of Pierre Dufour. (File photo)
Ms. Massé adds that the MNA has not lived up to his duties and can therefore no longer adequately represent the citizens of his riding.
What Pierre Dufour said during his visit to the Val-d'Or city council is not just an anecdotal statement, she argues. Mr. Dufour has a history of serious remarks, particularly on the woodland caribou file. We cannot allow a person who has so much contempt for the First Nations and the Inuit to sit in the National Assembly.
In a press scrum in Quebec, Pierre Dufour clarified his thought by saying that they are in 99% agreement with the conclusions of the Viens commission.
There may be an element that I disagree with and that is what I have exposed, he replied. We have a particular situation with the police. The commission said that we were giving too many tickets to the Aboriginals and that means that today we have an issue in relation to that.
The CAQ MP for Abitibi-Est, Pierre Dufour (File photo)
The CAQ MP for Abitibi-Est says he regrets that the issue of homelessness is racialized, since it concerns both Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals. He also says he is concerned about all the messages he has received since last fall from people who no longer know which door to knock on in connection with homelessness and delinquency in downtown Val-d'Or.< /p>
We have to look at the actions we can take and work on them together. When I see the mayor, I know that everyone wants to do well, but we work too much in silos, says Pierre Dufour. We need to find cohesion and common objectives to curb the problem.
Quebec's Minister of Public Security says that concrete actions will be taken to help curb crime in downtown Montreal. town of Val-d'Or.
Questioned during question period on Tuesday, François Bonnardel said he was in contact with the mayor of Val-d'Or, Céline Brindamour, for a particular situation of homelessness and serious delinquency. He said he was ready to respond to requests from the City for more police presence downtown.
I told the mayor that, in the reorganization of the SQ workforce, there would be three more police officers and one more investigator, he indicated in the House. I also discussed with the management there to have more police officers on the ground, who are visible by bike or on foot, to be able to intervene more quickly. This is a problem that is not simple and I am working with my colleagues to ensure that the population is safe and our streets safe.
Minister Bonnardel also recalled that police cadets will be deployed beginning June 1 to support police work.
This affair obviously rebounded in the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon, during question period. The Liberal MP for Acadie, André A. Morin, notably challenged the Legault government on the comments of Pierre Dufour.
The MP's comments are unworthy of a representative of the government when it tackles the work of the Viens commission, he said. I spoke to citizens of Val-d'Or who are disturbed by the words and behavior of the MP, worried about the social climate in Val-d'Or.
Minister Ian Lafrenière, responsible for relations with the First Nations, replied that he did not share the vision of his colleague Dufour on the impact of the Viens commission.
< p class="e-p">I heard his excuses, he mentions. I can tell you that there are already 86 concrete actions in response to Come. I was there in 2015 and since then, notwithstanding the results of the investigation, things have changed in Val-d'Or. The way the police intervene, the mixed unit that started in Val-d'Or, there are major changes and you will understand that I do not have the same vision.
