Marois and Peladeau suddenly shift PQ campaign away from Quebec independence

ST-NICOLAS, Que. – Parti Quebecois Leader Pauline Marois is trying to steer her campaign away from the theme of independence, just one day after musing about what a post-secession Quebec would look like.

Marois and star candidate Pierre Karl Peladeau refused to answer several campaign-trail questions today about Quebec sovereignty or any future independence referendum.

The PQ leader told reporters she’s running an election campaign, not a campaign on the future of Quebec.

Peladeau brushed off sovereignty questions by saying he preferred to talk about the economy, which was the subject of their campaign event outside Quebec City.

Their sudden aversion to discussing sovereignty comes after Marois spent several days describing specifics of an independent Quebec — such as retaining the Canadian dollar and keeping the borders open.

The apparent shift also comes just a few days after Peladeau’s splashy entrance into politics, when the Quebecor Media owner drove his fist into the air and proclaimed his lifelong passion for Quebec sovereignty.

“Today, we’re talking about the economy, we’re talking about entrepreneurship,” a more-reserved Peladeau replied Thursday to one of the questions about independence.