(Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce) “The surprise will start from here! This is the message sent by the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ), Éric Duhaime, to his supporters in Beauce-Nord less than 24 hours before the election. The hopes of his candidate Olivier Dumais have grown over the course of the election campaign so that he could comb the incumbent CAQ member Luc Provençal at the finish line.
Posted at 11:14 a.m.
Updated at 5:15 p.m.
“La Beauce is the cradle of entrepreneurship, it’s the cradle of freedom in Quebec, it’s you who will make the message resonate throughout Quebec,” said Éric Duhaime during this first stop. in the constituency since the official start of the electoral campaign on August 28.
The day before the outbreak, he had held an imposing rally in Beauceville. The electoral projections of the Qc125 site then gave the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) a good head start in Beauce-Nord. Today, they indicate that Olivier Dumais could cause the surprise.
Over the weeks, the Conservative candidate, also mayor of Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon, has surrounded himself with more than 200 volunteers. That’s what will make the difference, he says.
“To campaign on the ground, not just social media, both. Going to meet people, door to door, farms, everything “business”. We did everything. »
When the Conservative caravan stopped in Sainte-Marie, Beauce, on Sunday, about 200 people were waiting for Éric Duhaime to arrive. “Leave no stone unturned,” he told them. He is counting on the exit of the vote to disprove the polls which indicate that the PCQ has ceased its rise.
I think that our vote is underestimated at the present time and I am confident that tomorrow we will cause surprise in many ridings, as much for the first places as for the second places.
Éric Duhaime, leader of the PCQ
Earlier in the day, the Conservative leader gave his campaign report. He believes he has managed to win “the battle of ideas” by succeeding in imposing in the public debate questions such as the place of private health and the third link between Quebec and Lévis.
“A credible alternative”
He expects a close result in several ridings in the Quebec and Chaudière-Appalaches regions and believes that the Conservatives will be competitive in Centre-du-Québec, Mauricie, 450, Abitibi and Lac-Saint-Jean. .
“We will have to look at how many seats we will win, what percentage we will achieve nationally, but also in how many constituencies the Conservative Party will finish second, in how many regions the Conservative Party will finish second because that means say that we are going to be the alternative for the next [élection]. »
He recalled that the Conservatives started “with a slap and a boot”, that is to say that they did not benefit from the same resources as the other four main parties. In one year, the PCQ succeeded in creating 125 constituency associations and presenting as many candidates. The party’s rallies have not run out of steam over the weeks either.
You saw, the largest rally in the West Island of Montreal, it was not the Liberal Party that had it, it was the Conservative Party of Quebec.
Éric Duhaime, leader of the PCQ
For him, this is a sign that his party has become “a credible alternative in the eyes of a growing number of Anglophones and allophones”.
His caravan made several stops between Montreal and Quebec on Sunday, first in Saint-Hyacinthe, where a hundred galvanized supporters were waiting for him, then in Daveluyville, in Centre-du-Québec, where he was greeted by a few dozen people, and in Sainte-Marie. His day ended in his riding of Chauveau, Quebec, where he spoke to his volunteers.
Legault “tries to buy the election”
In a video posted to social media on Saturday, CAQ leader Francois Legault reminded voters he would “send a check for $400 to $600” if his party forms a government again. Éric Duhaime hopes that Quebecers will not bite “the caquiste hook”. “It’s always sad to see a politician trying to buy the election, who thinks the voters are for sale,” he said. […] He will return to us a fraction of what he will fetch too much from our pockets. That’s the reality. »