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QUEBEC — Interim Liberal leader Pierre Arcand has accused François Legault of showing contempt for people who disagree with him on secularism — and questioned whether he is fit to sit in the premier’s chair.

A long week of tension boiled over in question period Thursday with Arcand launching a blistering assault on the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s Bill 21, designed to bar public authority figures from wearing religious symbols.

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Two big issues are on the table: unanswered questions about how the bill will be applied and enforced (it includes no official sanctions) and how long the Legault government will allow discussions to run before invoking closure to limit debate and force the bill into law.

Arcand argued Quebecers “have a right to know how this government intends to deprive them of their rights,” and why it is in such a hurry to do it by bringing in the closure bulldozer.

“Premier, your mentor, René Lévesque, had always refused to use closure to slap a gag on the National Assembly when it came to issues affecting the fundamental rights of Quebecers,” Arcand fired across the floor at Legault during question period.