Quebec premier courts anglophone vote

Quebec Premier Jean Charest says anglophones who stay home instead of voting for him are, in effect, supporting the province's separation from Canada. Charest, leader of the Liberal Party in Quebec, said Thursday the other groups contesting the provincial election support a referendum on independence, The (Montreal) Gazette reported. The premier opened his campaign for the Sept. 4 election Wednesday. A day later, he responded to a question from a reporter suggesting that many English speakers in the province are disillusioned with his party and want some alternative. Charest promised to create 250,000 jobs in the province before the 2017 election. "A solid economy means everything else is possible," he said. "Madame Marois has another priority," he added, referring to Pauline Marois, leader of the Parti Quebecois. "She may speak on some other issue today, but her priority is to separate Quebec from Canada." The other contender is the Coalition Avenir Quebec (Quebec Future Coalition). Charest charged that the coalition's leader, Francois Legault, a former provincial minister, remains a separatist even though he says he has changed his mind on sovereignty for Quebec.