Elections Quebec | 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

QS and QST

Québec solidaire (QS) surprised many by agreeing to abolish the QST on thousands of products, including clothing or food purchased at restaurants, in order to help voters cope with inflation. A measure deemed unprogressive since it benefits the people who consume the most, therefore the richest among us. This refocusing of the party was predictable in the context where QS wants to present itself as a credible alternative to the Legault government. This pragmatism, however, risks coming up against more radical factions of the party: it remains to be seen whether these tensions will remain underground or will burst into the open during the campaign.

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

The PQ and electric vehicles

A very disappointing start to the campaign on this front, when all the parties have promised billions in tax cuts, duties or various allowances to fight against inflation. One wonders if economists were members of party strategy teams when these costly promises were made. Public services still lack so much love. Less taxes = less services. But the Parti Québécois (PQ) proposal to force car dealerships to offer more electric vehicles in order to reach our GHG reduction targets more quickly was certainly one of the boldest and most courageous of the week!

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

The memorable moment

Online hate exposed

The death threats against Liberal MP Marwah Rizqy gave rise to a rare unanimity between party leaders, who all strongly condemned the situation and, more generally, the violent and toxic climate prevailing, particularly on social media. They showed that beyond the political contest, they shared the same democratic values ​​and the wish that the growing division not be an obstacle to the debate of ideas. It was also an opportunity for François Legault to put on his Prime Minister’s clothes again, in particular in a call for calm and everyone’s responsibility broadcast on social media.

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

Difficult beginnings for the PLQ

Dominique Anglade’s difficult start to the campaign in Quebec is my memorable moment. She said she wanted to lead an offensive campaign in a region that has already been won over to the Liberals. The first three days of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) tour went from dubious strategic decisions to poorly organized events. The visit of M.^me Anglade at the Sainte-Foy public market, without a local candidate by his side, was the perfect illustration of this. As a result, the PLQ strategists lost control of the party’s message for almost the entire first week of the campaign. In a short 39-day campaign, this is the worst-case scenario.

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

The leader in action

LNG Quebec: Duhaime’s risky bet

Making the GNL Québec project THE question of the ballot box for the voters of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean is a risky strategy on the part of Éric Duhaime. In addition to diluting its message hitherto centered on the attack on individual freedoms attributable to the management of the pandemic by François Legault, it is risky to say the least to affirm that the project enjoys good social acceptability in the region. . GNL Québec, which, according to experts, would require significant public investment in order to be competitive, would have limited economic spinoffs while threatening belugas, not to mention its impacts on GHG production. All of this seems hard to justify, even to a conservative electorate.

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

Legault is sometimes his worst enemy

In political communication, François Legault is sometimes his worst enemy. His language quirks (which are perhaps suggested to him by his strategists and editors, let’s not forget) can embarrass him. Thus, refusing to name his adversaries, as he did last Sunday when answering a question about Dominique Anglade whom he instead named “this lady”, is clumsy and disrespectful. And this allowed M^me Anglade to turn the case to his advantage by launching during the launch of his own campaign on Sunday evening: “The lady, she has a plan! “. Good game !

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

The rising/falling star

Support that hurts

There are so many shooting stars at the PLQ that it feels like we’re back in the Perseid season. Beyond specific cases – it must be recognized that politics is an extreme sport – the large number of constituencies still vacant testifies to the disintegration of the proverbial liberal “machine”, once formidable. The support of veteran Yvon Vallières for a CAQ candidate is particularly painful, he who has remained faithful to the party for nearly 50 years. Dominique Anglade, who keeps her composure despite everything, seemed quite alone during her announcements on her “Portfolio Plan” made in Quebec this week, without an economic team by her side.

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

Tons of courage

The courageous and shocking stories of incumbent candidates Marwah Rizqy and Sylvain Lévesque on the unacceptable threats they have been subjected to since the start of their campaign have once again drawn the attention of Quebeckers to the daily violence that our elected officials face, in particular the women. The political involvement of our relatives, our neighbours, our work colleagues must be more valued in Quebec. Political power and its exercise belong to all citizens. And those who embark on this demanding adventure deserve respect rather than contempt, misogyny, racism and violence. That changes, and quickly!

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

The picture worth a thousand words

A controversial cartoon

If the PQ is the “Cinderella Party”, it has found its fairy godmother in the caricature of Jacques Goldstyn (alias Boris) in The Montreal Gazette. Even if the intentions of the cartoonist have been misunderstood – he who wanted to denounce the indifference of some about the 100^e birthday of René Lévesque —, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon quickly seized on the controversy. A real gift from heaven (or a magic wand?), which gives him the hope of rekindling the nationalist flame of a fringe of the electorate, all in line with the rest of his campaign.

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

Spotlight on Election Posters

The electoral display was at the heart of the discussions this week. First for the non-respect of the display rules in several sites where visual advertising is prohibited. In Old Quebec, the CAQ has been a repeat offender for three elections! Then, for the numerous damages to posters that took place all over Quebec, online and offline. The terrifying image of the poster of the CAQ candidate in Chaveau, Sylvain Lévesque, stained with blood, which circulated on Twitter, visually sums up one of the central themes of the first week of the campaign.

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