Posted at 12:00 a.m.
Who do you think performed better in this debate?
It remains unclear who “won” this debate. François Legault scored points with attacks directed against Québec solidaire and Éric Duhaime. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois continued to be calm and communicate to voters his new maturity. Dominique Anglade and Éric Duhaime were able to put on a good face against voters who may not have had the chance to hear them in person.
Beyond the leaders themselves, what marked this first debate in your opinion?
I note in the comments a real disappointment with the format. I share this impression: the exchanges were often cacophonous and they did not allow the candidates to present their ideas without interruption. Otherwise, there were no notable blunders among the candidates, but we felt that François Legault was less comfortable than the others with, precisely, the format of the debate.
Televised debates are exercises that can help inform voters and help them make their choice. However, it is fair to say that the format can also lead to frustration and disaffection among citizens. It is therefore important that the organizers pay attention to the format and ensure effective moderation.
To what extent do televised debates influence elections today?
Televised debates continue to be widely watched in Quebec today. That said, it is true that voters now have access to many other sources of information. In other words, the influence of the debates on the vote is not automatic, but they can contribute to the choice of certain voters.
Election promises, what are they legally worth? Leaders give their word, but how bound are they to keep it?
In fact, electoral promises have no legal value: once elected, a government is not bound by law to fulfill a promise made during the campaign. It is up to the voters, through their vote, to decide if they consider that the promises have been kept and if they wish to punish a party by not giving them their vote. Moreover, it seems that some parties have made the diagnosis that the only way to win votes is to reach out to voters who will not vote for the CAQ, rather than trying to gouge the electorate of the outgoing government. .
What is the real link between language and immigration? The idea of linguistic decline seems strong and disconnected from immigration issues. Can you tell us more?
The link between immigration and language is multidimensional. In Quebec, economic immigrants are selected on the basis of several criteria, including knowledge of French. Of course, some newcomers do not speak French, but the government and community organizations offer courses to learn French. Immigration is not the only cause of the decline of French.
If the CAQ had really kept its promise to reform the voting system, would it be in the majority in the end with the figures from the poll published Thursday before the debate?
Bill 39 proposed the establishment of a mixed voting system with regional compensation. The poll released Thursday showed that 38% of respondents intended to vote for the CAQ. It is difficult to answer the question precisely without details on the regional distribution of voting intentions, on the regional compensation formula and also without knowing how voters would adapt to a new voting system. Nevertheless, it seems prudent to suggest that the road to a strong majority would then be less straightforward for the CAQ.