Quebec elections | campaign bulletin

Experts invited for the duration of the electoral campaign, professors Stéphanie Yates and Thierry Giasson give their opinion each Saturday on five of the main themes of the week.

Commitment of the week

The return of large dams to the CAQ

Reviving the construction of large hydroelectric dams is certainly a dream, as is the idea of ​​becoming the “green battery” of North America. But the question of which rivers will have to be harnessed remains unresolved, and will certainly come up against issues of social acceptability, just as is already the case with mining projects that aim to supply the lithium and graphite necessary for the production of batteries. Above all, this surplus of energy which, if all goes well, should be effective within 15 years, tends to make people forget that in the face of the climate crisis, the transition also involves energy sobriety, a much more destabilizing avenue for the electorate (finished, the autosolo?).

Stéphanie Yates, professor in the department of social and public communication, UQAM

Paradigm shift in QS and the PQ in transport

The issue of the fight against climate change made a thunderous entry into the campaign this week. Two parties stand out for their sustainable mobility proposals: the Parti Québécois and Québec solidaire. Their massive investment proposals for public transit in Montreal, Quebec City and the regions are ambitious and sometimes surprising. The two parties are proposing a clear paradigm shift on individual, collective and interregional travel that could please Quebeckers for whom the environment is a priority, but also displease many others who are not yet ready to fundamentally change their travel habits. life to reduce GHGs.

Thierry Giasson, Professor in the Department of Political Science, Université Laval

The memorable moment

The entry into the scene of the environment

Québec solidaire’s climate plan, presented last Sunday, resolutely brought the theme of the environment into this campaign. If the proposals of the party of Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois have been taxed as unrealistic by the other parties, they have the merit of pushing the Coalition avenir Québec and the Liberal Party of Quebec to present GHG reduction targets that are undoubtedly more ambitious than they would not have done otherwise, the Parti Québécois also contributing to this pressure from the left flank. Mr. Nadeau-Dubois, however, found it difficult to stay focused on this theme of the environment because of the virulent criticism linked to his announcement on the taxation of “millionaires”, which placed him on the defensive, concealing, among other things, his commitment related to the extension of the metro.

Stéphanie Yates, professor in the department of social and public communication, UQAM

Immigration derails Legault’s campaign

Premier François Legault’s clumsy amalgamation of immigration and violence in society completely derailed the Coalition avenir Québec campaign this week and gave ammunition to Dominique Anglade, herself the daughter of immigrants, in his campaign in the Montreal region, where many ridings have voters with an immigrant background. François Legault may have just signaled the end of his party’s growth in Montreal, Laval and west of the South Shore. This is golden bar for the Liberal Party of Quebec, which never misses an opportunity to raise the issue.

Thierry Giasson, Professor in the Department of Political Science, Université Laval

The leader in action

A divisive prime minister?

François Legault will have this week given reason to Dominique Anglade, who accuses him of wanting to divide Quebecers. His unfortunate statement equating immigrants with increased violence is no doubt a blunder that will continue to haunt him during this campaign. On the other hand, his remarks on the haughty gaze of Montrealers towards the third link project seem cleverly calculated. The CAQ strategists will thus have estimated that the loyalty of the electoral base in the Quebec region – where the Conservative Party of Quebec is eyeing the CAQ electorate of the South Shore, in particular – was well worth the risk of annoying some voters in Greater Montreal, all of which has no major consequences for the outcome of the vote in this region.

Stéphanie Yates, professor in the department of social and public communication, UQAM

St-Pierre Plamondon sets the tone

Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is leading the most disciplined campaign so far in this election. He speaks calmly and talks about his own priorities first. He doesn’t get distracted by his opponents’ campaigns and sometimes even refuses to comment directly on their gaffes. The chef is always “on message”, well connected to his message of the day, without getting lost in the language of wood. He basically runs a positive campaign. Will he be able to maintain this tone for another three weeks?

Thierry Giasson, Professor in the Department of Political Science, Université Laval

The rising/falling star

PCQ: the party of one man?

As dubious amalgams from candidates of the Conservative Party of Quebec multiply — some have compared the Legault government to the Nazi regime and the dictatorships of Russia and China, and the situation of the unvaccinated to that of the Jews during the Second World War — we now learn that several candidates helped fund the convoy of truckers that paralyzed downtown Ottawa last winter. We are still looking for candidates who can seriously claim, alongside Éric Duhaime, to be ready to form the next official opposition.

Stéphanie Yates, professor in the department of social and public communication, UQAM

Old allegiances

The CAQ past of the Liberal candidate in Mille-Îles, Virginie Dufour, is catching up with her this week. The former municipal councilor, who was responsible for the environment on the Laval executive committee, was an activist for the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) and praised the government’s environmental record last fall. However, she says she decided to join the Quebec Liberal Party following François Legault’s comments on the possible Louisianization of Quebec and the continuation of the third link project in Quebec. The tunnel for her is a “no go” and she has refused to publicly pledge allegiance to the project as a possible candidate for the CAQ. And that’s precisely what star rookie caquiste Bernard Drainville came to do again last week, telling Quebecers “Let go of me with the GHGs”. Twitter is on fire and the CAQ campaign again loses control of its message of the day.

Thierry Giasson, Professor in the Department of Political Science, Université Laval

The picture that is worth 1000 words

Let’s continue…despite the climate crisis?

Having been accused of devoting a “personality cult” to François Legault, the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) wanted to distance itself from the image of the Prime Minister, at least in its first advertisement, which circulates among other on social media. The result is the image of a boat that could be associated with an LNG tanker, which circulates in what could be the Saguenay Fjord. With the slogan “Let’s continue” attached to the idea of ​​”enriching Quebec and Quebecers”, one almost comes to think that the CAQ is subtly sending a message in favor of the resumption of the LNG Quebec project… Moreover, the The very idea of ​​“continuing” does not fit well with the environmental issues discussed this week, which require us to do everything but continue as we have been doing so far.

Stéphanie Yates, professor in the department of social and public communication, UQAM

“Because it’s an island”

In a week loaded with surprising statements, it is this response from journalist Patrice Roy of Radio-Canada to the strange argument of Prime Minister Legault, who compares the number of bridges between Montreal and its shores and those that unite Quebec and Lévis for justify the third link, which captures attention. Internet users take up the exchange and produce memes and tweets that will be widely relayed this week.

Thierry Giasson, Professor in the Department of Political Science, Université Laval