Quebec elections | campaign newsletter

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

Education, this great absentee

After the rain of promises of the first two weeks, education is a cactus that lacks water. The very roots of the system are attacked in the face of the glaring lack of personnel and the appalling inequalities between public and private schools and those with special vocations. In the harsh logic of political marketing, we understand that other segments of the electorate pass in front of children who do not have the right to vote. But don’t the parties have a responsibility to rise above these strategic considerations to take a serious interest in the system that is the basis of the future of our society?

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

Not the accounting party!

Dominique Anglade repeats on all platforms that the PLQ is the party of the economy. But significant miscalculations in its financial framework and in the estimate of the electricity consumption necessary to apply its Eco plan tells us that the PLQ is not the accounting party! While the leader continued her preparation for the debate, the party sent Carlos Leitão, the former Minister of Finance and the architect of the PLQ’s financial framework, to correct the situation. He explains the error by a lack of resources within the team. The impression of improvisation is difficult to avoid. Fault confessed is half redressed ?

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

The memorable moment

A painful but useful debate

The first leaders’ debate gave rise to cacophonous exchanges that must have discouraged many from leaving the television on. In these tight exchanges where Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois reigned supreme with an unequaled sense of the clip, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon also advantageously stood out from the pack. His performance is reminiscent of that of Françoise David in 2012, when he was able to clearly explain his commitments while listening to his opponents without interrupting them unnecessarily, even going so far as to congratulate Québec solidaire for its environmental plan. This appeal to the intelligence of voters, his palpable emotion during exchanges on the French language and his obvious sincerity could bring back part of the sovereignist vote. Mission successful for the leader of the PQ.

Stephanie Yates

Entangled in personal finances

Éric Duhaime was running a campaign without too many hitches, but now revelations about the management of his personal finances came to hamper his tour. All week, he had to answer questions from the media and comments from his opponents about his payment defaults. He got entangled in his explanations and then posed as a victim of the media elite who would seek to sink his campaign (which is unconvincing for the media man that he is). The pan followed him until the debate on Thursday evening when Pierre Bruneau asked him tit for tat if his personal finances are indicative of how he will manage the economy once in power. Faintness.

Thierry Giasson

The leader in action

Eric Duhaime’s loss of control

Bad week for Éric Duhaime, whose campaign was completely derailed due to revelations about his unpaid tax bills. We can think that the Conservative leader’s electoral base will be quick to forgive him, but the accumulation of late payments will probably end up annoying: Hydro-Québec bills, municipal taxes, school taxes, plumbing bills… We come to to think that the leader of the Conservative Party places himself above the law, an embarrassing posture for a person who claims to be close to gentlemen and lady Everybody. Whether we like the state corporation or not, we pay our hydro bill… More broadly, this episode calls into question the moral legitimacy of the man who aspires to become prime minister.

Stephanie Yates

François Legault messy and exasperated

The first debate bringing together the five leaders took place Thursday evening on TVA. The four opposition leaders, who were introduced to this type of high-risk activity, delivered solid performances. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, sincere, did not shy away from criticism of his positions by explaining them clearly, Dominique Anglade imposed herself with conviction and emotion on the question of the integration of immigrants and on education, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon skillfully reminded the Prime Minister that his vision of sustainable mobility dates from another century and Éric Duhaime destabilized Mr. Legault on the studies related to the third link project. By contrast, the head of government, the target of the debate, often seemed overwhelmed, messy, exasperated and ill-prepared. He will imperatively have to correct the situation for the debate next week.

Thierry Giasson

The rising/shooting star

Indigenous applicants

It is gratifying, in this campaign, that nine candidates and the Aboriginal candidates are in the running, in ridings where some have a real chance of being elected. We understand that taking an active part in the elections remains a delicate issue for these communities, for whom participating implies legitimizing the colonial system that they denounce elsewhere. The fact remains that having strong Aboriginal voices within our institutions is necessary to finally put issues that have been overlooked for too long on the agenda. Let us think, first and foremost, of the appalling living and health conditions that persist in certain communities.

Stephanie Yates

If M^me Fiola had been a man, would it even have been talked about?

The PQ candidate for Laval-des-Rapide, Andréanne Fiola, was the subject of a dubious report by the Mail Laval about his past participation in a porn video. The report reported the disparaging remarks of Michel Trottier, the Liberal candidate for Sainte-Rose with whom Ms.^me Fiola had also campaigned in the municipal elections, towards the PQ candidate. If he had known, he wouldn’t have recruited her to his team. This is a fine example of “slut shaming” aimed at ridiculing and stigmatizing M^me Fiola. This is difficult to understand in 2022. Andréanne Fiola has kept an impressive countenance and a strong dignity in the face of revelations. Its leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon brilliantly supported it by indicating the limits of the hypocrisy linked to this report. Indeed, who has not consumed pornography in 2022? But above all, if M^me Fiola had been a man, would it even have been talked about?

Thierry Giasson

The picture that is worth 1000 words

Dominique Anglade’s boxing gloves

The leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec put on her boxing gloves this week to convince us that she was continuing to wage an offensive campaign, despite the unfavorable polls. However, it risks being quickly pushed back into the cables in the face of the tight struggles that are taking place in several traditionally liberal constituencies. The few votes that the Bloc Montreal of Balarama Holness is trying to gouge could hurt, just like those that the PLQ could lose to the Conservative Party of Quebec, which openly courts the English-speaking right-wing electorate, as evidenced in particular by its move to Laval this week.

Stephanie Yates

The rapid melting of Greenland’s glaciers

Review Science publishes research on accelerating global average temperature warming and the 16 tipping points that lie ahead. Five of them have already started, including the rapid melting of Greenland’s glaciers. The situation already has economic and social ramifications here. The mayors of Quebec’s major cities have also asked the government for $2 billion in assistance to stabilize their infrastructures in response to these impacts. François Legault rejected their request. In this sense, the leaders of the PQ and QS were right to remind us during the debate on Thursday evening of the importance of taking action in the fight against climate change.

Thierry Giasson