Where did he say that, skyofblue?  Not in his open letter to LaPresse, as far as I can see.

He does however, talk of one reason he changed his earlier position: he speaks of the “proliferation of attacks, especially against muslim women wearing a veil – attacks ranging from hate speech all the way to physical assaults.  

“These reactions were caused by a minority of citizens already nursing hostility towards immigrants in general and muslims in particular, but who previously dared not go public with it.  The debate on the Charter of Values had the effect of reducing their inhibitions or even eliminating them altogether. . . “

He ends on a positive tone:

“Let’s not reopen those wounds.  Let’s give ourselves the time and opportunity for reconciliation [. . .] The new Quebec ‘us’ is bigger now.”