RHÉAL SÉGUIN
QUEBEC CITY — From Thursday's Globe and Mail Published on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010 12:00AM EST Last updated on Friday, Feb. 12, 2010 3:04AM EST
Quebeckers may not hold the Lieutenant-Governor in the highest esteem, but according to the provincial government, they would choose the monarchy over sovereignty any day.
The Opposition Parti Québécois called on the Liberal government yesterday to cut off funding to Pierre Duchesne's office, in retaliation for the Lieutenant-Governor's refusal last week to appear before a National Assembly committee to explain his expenditures.
However, government House Leader Jacques Dupuis said the PQ demand was a ploy to discredit the monarchy and boost sovereignty.
"Everybody on the committee deplored the Lieutenant-Governor's refusal to account for his spending ... but when you oppose all funding for the function of the lieutenant-governor, that's denying the very existence of the lieutenant-governor," Mr. Dupuis said in the National Assembly.
"We're not going to play the PQ's game on sovereignty. The population wants nothing to do with sovereignty."
The PQ tabled a motion yesterday, to be voted on today, that aims to cut off all provincial funding for the Lieutenant-Governor's office, estimated at $775,000 a year.
Last week, Mr. Duchesne invoked royal privileges to justify his refusal to appear before the committee. The committee members sought clarification on various expenditures, including the Lieutenant-Governor's decision to re-establish an old tradition of having medals stamped with his image, a practice that ended more than 40 years ago when the monarchy was viewed as a symbol of English Canada's domination of francophone Quebec.
Premier Jean Charest has said that Mr. Duchesne was wrong to refuse to appear before the committee.
The PQ rejected accusations that its motion was part of a strategy to promote sovereignty. The motion respects the Canadian Constitution, according to PQ member Agnès Maltais, who said that at a time when the government wants to tighten its belt, reining in the Lieutenant-Governor's spending would be a good way to save taxpayers' money.
The PQ accused the government of creating a diversion to avoid judging Mr. Duchesne's behaviour.
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