Charest urges anglos to "leave brains behind" at ballot box

Jean Charest stated that Quebec anglophones should "turn their brains off" if they want to avoid a sovereigntist government, in an interview given to Montreal radio station CJAD.

"History has shown that when anglophones start actually thinking about who they might vote for, that is immediately followed by a sovereignty referendum," Charest said.  "Only by turning your brains off and voting for the Liberal candidate without thinking, can you avoid an immediate independence referendum."

Charest pointed to the 1976 election, in which many Anglophones voted for the Union nationale which allowed Rene Levesque's PQ to form the government.  He also pointed to the 1989 vote where most anglophones voted for the protest Equality Party, which had absolutely no effect on the massive Liberal victory that year.

When asked about his second example seeming to contradict Charest's point about the anglophone vote having an effect on who wins, Charest interrupted and said, "See, that's the kind of overthinking I'm talking about.  The choice is clear: vote for us or rip up your Canadian passport.  Vote for the Liberals or start building a border wall at Hawkesbury.

"What's more important, the "issues" or a referendum on sovereignty?  As I've learned in nine years in government, sometimes using your brain to make political choices can be your worst choice."