The Quebec region remains loyal to the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), despite the assiduous courtship that the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) has made to it. Chauveau closed the door of the Blue Salon in the face of chef Éric Duhaime; even Beauce, after keeping the Conservative troops in suspense until the wee hours of the night, made the PCQ bite the dust. The party left empty-handed, but recorded, in defeat, the best results in its history, rising to second place in the majority of the constituencies in the region.
The Conservative Party is not claiming victory, but it is emerging from the 2022 election. Since the accession of Éric Duhaime to its leadership, the political formation has welcomed 60,000 new members – and received significant political contributions. The Conservative Party has received more than half a million dollars in donations since the start of the year. This is double that in 2021, and 10 times more than in 2020. In the last ballot, the PCQ collected its largest percentage in Chauveau, without exceeding 10%. This year, he garners at least 20%, and often one-third, of the votes cast almost everywhere in the National Capital Region.
The conservative wave that was to sweep over Quebec did not, however, erode the CAQ’s stranglehold on the region. The political landscape remains the same: a pale blue sea with, for only relief, two solidarity constituencies emerging from the center of the capital. Proof of the resilience of François Legault’s party in the region, the CAQ retains percentages similar to those of 2018, even if the Conservatives record results far superior to the crumbs harvested four years ago.
The greater Quebec City region made room for the Conservatives by ousting the Liberals. The rout of the party of Dominique Anglade, which had its castles and its ministers a few years ago still around the national capital, is total. The Liberals came second everywhere in 2018: here they are in last place in all the ridings except one, Jean-Talon, a stronghold that the PLQ held without interruption between 1965 and 2019 and where its candidate, Monday, came just ahead conservatives.
Several heavyweights are entering – or returning – to the Blue Room. Former journalist Martine Biron won the bet in Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, her colleague Bernard Drainville, former PQ minister and father of the Charter of Quebec Values, will now sit as MP for Lévis.
Ministers Jonatan Julien and Éric Caire return to Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Geneviève Guilbault too. It is no longer Catherine Dorion that they will find on the solidarity bench, but well Étienne Grandmont, elected to succeed the colorful and controversial deputy in Taschereau. Sol Zanetti confirmed his victory in Jean-Lesage. After having won it by 699 votes in 2018, he is well in the saddle with more than 1500 votes in advance.