Liberal leader Charles Milliard rallied his troops at a General Council meeting on Saturday, presenting his party as the only resolutely federalist one in the face of a Parti Québécois that wants to separate from the rest of Canada and a Coalition Avenir Québec that is in the “No camp.” “On the referendum issue, CAQ members are wavering. Some say they’re in the ‘No’ camp. Others are proud sovereignists,” he told the several hundred Liberal activists gathered at the Delta in Sherbrooke. The Liberal leader was referring to the fact that Minister Jean Boulet recently said he would support a “No” vote in the event of a third referendum, while his colleague Mathieu Lacombe would instead vote “Yes.” “On an issue as fundamental as the future of our nation, there can be no ‘Noui’ camps,” Charles Milliard scoffed. He also took a swipe at the PQ leader, accusing him of being “completely out of touch with the realities of Quebecers.” “We, Mr. St-Pierre-Plamondon, do not want to separate Quebec; we want to fix Quebec,” the Liberal leader declared. “In the Quebec Liberal Party, we are proudly regionalist, nationalist, and federalist. Fully, clearly, and unambiguously,” he added. Red tape and overregulation The majority of the Liberal leader’s speech focused on the economy. He promised to reduce the tax rate for SMEs from 11.5 to 10 per cent. Milliard also wants to reduce the “red tape and overregulation” that have become one of “the biggest obstacles to our growth and productivity.” “I pledge to impose a moratorium immediately after our election on any new regulations that increase the administrative burden on SMEs,” he said. He also wants two regulations to be abolished for “every new regulatory requirement.” The Liberal leader also pledged to “tackle head-on” the housing crisis with “100,000 housing starts per year.” His speech also served as an opportunity to introduce nine new candidates for the upcoming elections scheduled for next October. Free choice in CEGEPs While the Liberal leader’s plan for French is still pending, Liberals spoke out earlier Saturday in favour of restoring free choice in CEGEPs. Bill 96, which strengthens the Charter of the French Language, limits enrollment of francophones and allophones in English-language CEGEPs. It also requires all students to take three French courses or three courses in their program in French. “One thing is certain: we are affecting institutions that are important to the English-speaking community,” said André Pratte, chair of the Quebec Liberal Party’s (PLQ) National Policy Commission, during a press conference. “Should this change? ‘Absolutely,’” he replied. According to Pratte, the CAQ government used Bill 96 as a backdoor way to “limit people’s choice to receive higher education in the language of their choice.” “No Quebec government has ever interfered with adults’ rights to choose where they receive their higher education. Because we consider this to be an important freedom of choice,” he argued. It is for this reason that the PLQ opposed the extension of Bill 101 to vocational training and adult education earlier this week. The Liberal MNA for Westmount--Saint-Louis, Jennifer Maccarone, also believes that the cap on spots in English-language CEGEPs should be removed. “When a young francophone turns 18 and wants to learn English because they see it as an option for the future, why shouldn’t we let them learn it?” she argued. Her colleague from Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Désirée McGraw, also spoke out in favour of “free choice for adults.” The Minister of the French Language, Jean-François Roberge, was quick to criticize the Liberals. “For Charles Milliard and the Quebec Liberal Party, the game plan is clear: attack the French Language Charter while claiming to protect existing rights. ‘Move forward by going backward’—that’s their motto!” he wrote on X on Saturday. ‘We need ambition’ On Friday, Milliard stated that his plan for French, which is to be unveiled by June 21, will be “better” than the CAQ’s. “We need ambition in Quebec,” he added on Saturday. A few weeks ago, the Liberal leader wavered on Bill 96. He first stated that he was in favour of retaining the exemption clause to protect the law from legal challenges, thereby breaking a 2022 election promise made by his party. His stance caused a stir within his caucus and among the anglophone community. He then said he would amend Bill 96 and see if the exemption clause is still necessary. “There is no discomfort with language in the Quebec Liberal Party. We are fundamentally francophone. We are proud of our language,” the Liberal leader assured on Friday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 6, 2026.
