Kisses, handshakes, hugs, walkabouts. The election campaign seems to be going so far like the good old days, the days before COVID-19. The masks are put away, the distance of two meters already seems a distant memory. Bye bye to sanitary measures.
The COVID? What COVID? In the caravans of the leaders of the five parties vying to take power on October 3 in the National Assembly, everything is happening as if the pandemic was a thing of the past, despite the possible emergence of an eighth wave in the short term, as anticipates the national director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau.
Because the virus is still circulating, even if the situation is currently stable. Every day, there are reports of deaths related to COVID-19. Thursday, we reported 12.
The Canadian Press surveyed the teams of the five parties to find out what measures were taken to prevent the spread of the virus during the election campaign, a period conducive to multiple physical rapprochements between politicians and voters, as well as regroupings.
Conclusion: the subject arouses little interest. Since the beginning of the campaign, we have seen the leaders on the road go to meet voters, multiply crowds in shopping centers and public markets, shake hands from morning to evening, distribute hugs and other tokens of affection intended to attract votes.
Basically, the general principle observed will be to respect the instructions of public health, say the organizations of the different parties. In fact, as long as they remain optional, we aim to impose the minimum of constraints.
Currently, wearing a face covering is only mandatory in establishments where care is provided. Wearing a mask is “recommended” if you go to a place where there are vulnerable people. To reduce the risk of spread, it is advisable to avoid “direct physical contact”, such as handshakes.
The mask: to wear it or not?
As a general rule, leaders and candidates campaign with their faces uncovered. But we promise to make an exception for visits to more vulnerable voters, such as in residential centers for the elderly. This is the instruction that will be followed by the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), the Parti Québécois (PQ) and Québec solidaire (QS).
At the CAQ, it is pointed out that the 125 candidates have been vaccinated and have received their booster doses and it is indicated that a directive sent to all candidates is intended to tell them to put on a mask each time they are likely to having “close contact” with people in fragile health. It can be in a shelter, but also during the door to door, a tradition well anchored in the electoral campaign.
On the side of the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ), Éric Duhaime, recognized for his fierce opposition to sanitary measures, it is indicated in his entourage that he does not intend to wear a mask, whatever the activity or the type of place visited, except if he goes to meet “people at risk who ask for it”.
Gatherings: indoors or outdoors?
In the PQ camp, that of the Liberals and the Solidarity, we plan to organize rallies throughout the campaign, but if possible outside, if the weather permits, which will reduce the risk of spread.
In the conservative camp, we will organize rallies inside or outside. At the launch of Eric Duhaime’s campaign on August 21 in Quebec City, the PCQ brought together more than 800 people packed like sardines in an overheated room, packed to capacity. No one wore a mask.
Leaders’ debates: positive test?
Present at the same time, in the same studio, the five chefs will be able to cross swords twice during televised debates, the first on September 15 on TVA, the second on Radio-Canada on September 22: François Legault for the CAQ, Dominique Anglade for the PLQ, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois for QS, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon for the PQ and Éric Duhaime for the PCQ.
What if one of the leaders tested positive the day before the debate, while showing mild symptoms that would not prevent him from participating in the exchanges, while being potentially contagious? Should we cancel everything? Plan virtual participation?
We generally agree that it is primarily up to the broadcasters to set the rules of the game in this area.
In the conservative camp, it is argued that “for the good of democracy, we believe that any leader should be able to participate in the debate, contagious or not”, indicated his spokesperson by email.
And there is no question of imposing the wearing of a mask on a potentially contagious leader during a televised debate, according to the conservatives, because this would harm “communication, both auditory and visual”.
At the PQ, we recommend that a chef who has contracted COVID should not show up in the studio, but should still be invited to participate virtually “if his state of health allows it”. A formal request has been made to this effect to the networks organizing the debates.
At the PLQ, we first rejected this scenario outright, before accepting it, when signing the agreement with the broadcasters. Initially, we especially wanted to avoid reproducing the strange course of the debate organized by the students of the University of Montreal, during the leadership race of the PQ, in 2015, when four candidates were present in person, while the favorite, Pierre Karl Péladeau, had chosen to participate remotely and to debate with his adversaries via a television screen.