Quebec will work with Harper's Tories: Charest
Prime Minister Stephen Harper declined an invitation from Quebec Premier Jean Charest to attend a meeting of premiers in Montreal next week, but said he's ready to convene provincial leaders soon to talk about the economy.
Charest invited Harper to the Council of the Federation meeting to discuss the current economic turmoil.
The Quebec premier also wants the financial crisis to be added to the agenda at this week's meeting of la Francophonie.
Quebec is ready to work with Harper's minority government, especially on economic matters, Charest said.
The premier said the province's expectations of the Conservatives haven't changed with their re-election.
Charest has come under fire from opposition leaders who accused him of meddling in the federal campaign.
Action Démocratique du Québec Leader Mario Dumont reproached Charest for being the "best friend" of Gilles Duceppe's Bloc Québécois in the last weeks of the campaign.
"Duceppe-Charest is the odd couple of Quebec," with the Liberal premier driving Quebecers into the arms of the sovereigntist party, Dumont said.
"The way the Bloc Québécois could find a new energy, could find a new life, it's obvious that Jean Charest's interventions were key."
Dumont was hoping the Tories would make gains in the province to bolster support for his provincial party and policies built on greater Quebec autonomy within Canada.
Charest's foray into the campaign was too little, too late, said Parti Québécois Leader Pauline Marois.
"I was shocked to see Mr. Charest, two weeks ago, wake up all of a sudden and say he's Quebec's defender," she told reporters in Montreal Wednesday.
"What makes us believe he'll do better [advocating for Quebec] in the current situation?" she asked.
Marois congratulated Quebec voters for backing the Bloc, and said the party's 50 seats are a sign the sovereigntist movement is alive and kicking.
The Bloc best represents Quebec's values of gender equality, environmental protection, peace and progressive youth policies, she said.