Caquiste candidate Caroline St-Hilaire asked Québec solidaire if he believes he is “above the law” after sharing a video showing Québec solidaire activists handing out flyers on a university campus.
The person in charge of mobilization at the Commission de la Relève de la CAQ, Alexandre Chayer, had posted the video captured inside Laval University. “A new day, a new offense by Quebec solidaire on campuses,” he lamented on Twitter after the kickoff of the vote on Quebec campuses. He also shared a photo taken inside the University of Sherbrooke showing an employee of Elections Quebec having collected about fifteen leaflets in the colors of the left-wing party.
The spokesperson for Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, assured the press that, “several days ago, […] issues very clear directives to all [ses] activists, of [ses] campus activists. “Soliciting should not be done inside pavilions or polling stations. We asked that these directives be respected. If it is necessary to call them back, we will call them back, ”he said on Tuesday afternoon. “If voters bring promotional material with them, it is not the responsibility of the parties,” he added.
That said, Mr. Nadeau-Dubois suspects the caquists of shouting loudly on social networks in order to “demobilize the vote of young people”, which is against him. “We won’t let them do it,” he warned less than a week before election day. “I wish good luck to the CAQ if they wish to discourage the youth of Quebec from going to vote. »
Mr. Nadeau-Dubois called on students to “go vote” despite the “confusion” surrounding voting on campus fueled by the “spin doctors” of François Legault’s political party and maintained by candidates, like Caroline St-Hilaire in Sherbrooke. I think everyone is old enough to know what’s going on: in Sherbrooke, young people want Christine Labrie to be re-elected,” explained Mr. Nadeau-Dubois. “The CAQ is afraid of the youth vote. »
According to the latest Léger / Journal / TVA / QUB poll, QS enjoys the support of 39% of voters aged between 18 and 34, compared to 18% for the CAQ.
Elections Quebec recalled Tuesday that “voters must not be pressured or influenced when they go to vote”, including on campuses. “No one can hand out flyers or cards; put up a poster; display a banner or badge; etc “, can we read on the website of the independent organization.
“If there is a polling station in a pavilion, we do not solicit in that pavilion. And we, we even told our activists, in front of the pavilions either, to be sure that there were no ambiguities, ”added Mr. Nadeau-Dubois on Tuesday.