QUEBEC - Premier Jean Charest has yet another legal battle on his hands.
A deadline for the leader of the Action democratique du Quebec to retract his reference to Charest as the "godfather" of the Liberal party came and went on Tuesday without Gerard Deltell backing down.
Charest's lawyers sent Deltell notice on Monday he would face legal action if he didn't withdraw the remark by 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Deltell, whose party has four members in the 125-seat national assembly, didn't wait until the deadline to make his intentions known.
"No, I won't apologize," he told reporters as he read a statement.
"Jean Charest can't gag me. I want to tell Quebecers they can always count on me to defend them against the Liberal family."
The premier interpreted Deltell's "godfather" comment from the weekend as a reference to organized crime.
Charest is also involved in a legal battle with former justice minister Marc Bellemare, who contends the premier turned a blind eye to allegations of political interference in the appointment of some judges in 2003 and 2004.
The premier is suing Bellemare for $700,000, while the ex-cabinet minister has responded with a $900,000 lawsuit against his former boss.
Charest, meanwhile, was fending off questions Tuesday about the growing popularity of an online petition calling for his resignation.
The petition on the website of the national assembly has garnered nearly 100,000 signatures since it was launched Monday.
"In a democracy, governments are often called upon to make difficult decisions, decisions that can be challenged," he said, noting it's hard to please everyone all the time.
The person who thought up the petition says its popularity is down to the public's disenchantment with Charest's policies.
Steve Brosseau listed several reasons for his move, including allegations of government collusion with the construction industry as well as the allegations surrounding the appointment of judges.
