His decision effectively stopped the task force's work. He later opposed a federal literacy and training strategy as an encroachment into the province's jurisdiction. In May 1991, Pagé rejected a Parti Québécois suggestion to bus non-francophone immigrant students to schools in predominantly francophone neighbourhoods. He considered, but ultimately did not accept, changes to a clause in Quebec's Charter of the French Language that required all immigrant students to attend French-language schools. In September 1991, he announced a five-year program to reduce Quebec's high dropout rate, added more school days, and provide greater flexibility for the province's education providers. Pagé announced in May 1991 that several schools in low-income neighbourhoods would serve free breakfasts to students at the start of each day. The following year, he again introduced cutbacks to Quebec's free milk program (after the program was transferred from the Agriculture ministry to Education). In May 1991, Pagé blocked an effort by the Equality Party to have the Canadian flag permanently displayed in the national assembly. He acknowledged that he had introduced an identical motion eleven years earlier, though he said his purpose (like that of the Equality Party) was simply to embarrass the government of the day. As a compromise, the Liberals agreed to bring out the Canadian flag on special occasions. Pagé oversaw legislation for a provincial referendum in late 1992. The Bourassa government's original intent was to have a vote on Quebec sovereignty, but it later changed the referendum to a vote on the Charlottetown Accord, a post-Meech Lake effort at constitutional reform. The accord was defeated in Quebec and in a national vote across Canada. Following the vote, Pagé said that Canadians could no longer live happily together and that sovereignty-association could be an interesting concept for Quebec's future. (Several years later, Pagé said that he made these comments in the emotion of the moment and that they were not representative of his beliefs.) He resigned from cabinet in October 1992 and formally resigned from the legislature a month later. Pagé was the president and chief executive officer of Donohue Inc., a pulp and newsprint company based in Quebec City, from October 1992 until his sudden resignation in August 1994. He announced in March 1993 that the company would post a profit after two years of losses, due in large part to rising lumber prices. He was named as the honorary chairman of Lithos Corp. in October 1995. He made a guest appearance at a Bloc Québécois policy convention in 1995, although he said that his intent was to discuss non-partisan issues and that he had not become a Quebec sovereigntist.