Leaders Debate | Fact check

François Legault’s claims

Ariane Kroll
The Press

Judith Lachapelle
The Press

Julien Arsenault
The Press

Eric-Pierre Champagne
The Press

Fake. It’s half as much. New York Public Utilities Commission-approved contract will cut New York State’s carbon emissions by 37 million tons, “equivalent to taking more than half a million cars off the road “, announced Hydro-Quebec last April. This contract provides for the annual delivery of 1,250 megawatts of “clean and renewable hydroelectricity” to New York City, which “corresponds to the consumption of more than one million homes”, Hydro said.

Fake. It is much less. Effect of the aging of the population, the proportion of families with at least one child is declining more and more in Quebec. According to data from the 2021 census from Statistics Canada, 55% of Quebec families now have one or more children.

Dominique Anglade’s assertion

True. About 470,000 jobs have been created since October 2018 in neighboring Ontario, according to Statistics Canada data. Meanwhile, in Quebec, 156,000 jobs have been added. However, to put things into perspective, Ontario is much more populous than Quebec. There were some 15 million people in Ontario, compared to 8.7 million in Quebec. In addition, the unemployment rate was lower in August in Quebec (4.9%) than in Ontario (5.7%).

Statements by Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois

True. In 2021, according to figures compiled by AutoMédia, 15,939 copies of the sport utility vehicle built by Toyota were sold in Quebec, compared to 644 Dodge Grand Caravan. Taking into account the 590 sales of Chrysler Grand Caravan, another model from the same manufacturer, 1,244 vans were sold. The RAV4 therefore sold 13 times more. It’s just over $31,000 for a RAV4 and around $32,300 for Dodge’s minivan. These prices may vary depending on the options that may be added.

True. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois cites a study conducted by Pierre Canisius Kamanzy, professor at the Faculty of Education at the University of Montreal, published in 2019. The professor, a specialist in social and educational inequalities, calculated that 60% of young people in private schools went to university, compared to 51% of those in enriched public schools – with reinforced programs in mathematics, science or languages, as in a so-called “international” school – and 15% of those from ordinary public schools. In addition, one out of two regular public pupils ceases their studies at the end of the secondary cycle.

Paul St-Pierre-Plamondon’s assertion

Fake. Ottawa primarily provides loans, not direct grants. The federal government’s largest contribution to the petroleum industry consists of loans from Export Development Canada (EDC). On average, since the election of the Trudeau government, the oil and gas industry has benefited from loans totaling $10.7 billion per year.

Eric Duhaime’s claims

True. Éric Duhaime refers to a survey published in February 2022 by the University of Sherbrooke and the CIUSSS de l’Estrie. According to the data collected, at least 50% of young people over the age of 16 surveyed indicated that they had symptoms of moderate to severe anxiety or depression. This study was conducted under the supervision of Dr.^D Mélissa Généreux, professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sherbrooke… and candidate for Québec solidaire in the riding of Saint-François.

Fake. A physician participating in the public plan can change status, and become non-participating, by completing a form from the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) within 30 days. He can ask to become a participant again “at any time” by filling out another form, underlines the RAMQ. At least 71 doctors left the RAMQ at least once between 2020 and 2021, some nearly 10 times in a year, shows a compilation published by The Journal of Montreal. Many were pulmonologists, radiologists or orthopedists.