Live – Quebec election: High turnout in early voting a ‘good sign’ Quebecers want change, Duhaime says

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Québec solidaire candidate apologizes for swapping out Parti Québécois pamphlet

Anglade works the phones in her riding

Elections Quebec: Don’t forget to bring ID to your polling station

Opinion: Anglophones should reject Éric Duhaime’s overtures

“Éric Duhaime, a former ‘poubelle’ radio host and contributor to alt-right Rebel Media, has a troubling history of insulting those who are different.

“He has disparaged the Black community, denied the existence of system racism, claimed women’s advocacy organizations are ‘discriminatory,’ and referred to someone leaving a severed pig’s head outside the Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City — the same mosque that was the site of a hate-motivated mass shooting just months later — as a ‘joke.”

Read the full opinion piece, by Christopher Holcroft

High turnout in early voting a ‘good sign’ Quebecers want change, Duhaime says

Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime says he’s encouraged by the high turnout rate in advance voting.

The results could be a sign that Quebecers want a change, he told reporters at a press conference in Laval.

“When we see there’s a lot of people participating, we think it’s a good sign. We believe that more people participating usually means that people are looking for a change.

“And we do believe that our voters are getting out and voting (in great numbers) right now.”

He said that’s especially true in the Quebec City region and “that’s where the Conservatives are the strongest.”

Elections Quebec said the turnout rate on Sunday, the first day of advance polls, was 12.6 per cent. Advance polling continues today. (See item below, timestamped 8:45 a.m.)

In 2018, the voter turnout rate over a week of advance voting was 17.9 per cent.

Duhaime said the party’s “second stronghold” is in ridings with many non-francophone voters.

He urged anglophone voters to consider switching their votes from the Liberals to the Conservatives since, “outside of the anglophone world, the Liberals are a third party right now” and are “in a freefall.”

The Conservatives are “the only federalist alternative” with a “centre-right program,” he said.

Duhaime said anglophones no longer have to be “hostages of the Liberals. This is not a referendum, this is not a fight between the Yes and the No camp.”

A former insider at the separatist Parti Québécois and Bloc Québécois, Duhaime has vowed not to hold a referendum on sovereignty.

Duhaime said he’s happy with his party’s showing in recent polls since the Conservatives were barely registering in surveys a year ago.

“Some people say we’re far away from power, but we’re far away from where we were a year ago, so we’re quite happy with the upswing but we want to go even further.”

During the press conference, Duhaime said under a Quebec Conservative government, the province would never re-introduce a COVID-19 vaccine passport, impose a curfew or in any way confine Quebecers.

Would he promote vaccination?

No – if there was to be any promotion, it would be done by the public health department and it getting the shot won’t be mandatory, Duhaime said.

He noted that François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec continues to encourage people to get vaccinated.

“I don’t think it’s a politician who should do that; I think it should be a doctor,” Duhaime said.

Watch the press conference:

Despite poor polls, Anglade says Liberals are ‘on the offensive’

Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade says a possible recession will hurt Quebec particularly hard because of the severe labour shortage – a crisis that François Legault and his Coalition Avenir Québec have ignored.

“The labour shortage will handicap us, will limit us in a period where we need all means necessary to succeed,” Anglade told a press conference in Montreal North.

She said Legault downplays the severe labour shortage in Quebec, despite the fact that it’s affecting public services, with the school and health networks struggling to fill vacancies.

Anglade is campaigning today in ridings that have traditionally been Liberal strongholds but where her party is facing challenges this time around.

With a week left to convince voters, the Liberal leader was asked whether this shows she’s on the defensive.

“You’ll see in some of the Montreal ridings, you’ll see us in areas where we don’t have elected officials yet,” Anglade responded.

She said during the final week of the campaign, she’ll be heading to the Eastern Townships, the Montérégie, Quebec City and eastern and northern Quebec.

“That’s a campaign that’s on the offensive,” Anglade added.

The Liberals are struggling in the polls, with some indicating the party last among the francophone voters, who make up the majority in the vast majority of ridings. Surveys suggest support has also fallen in ridings dominated by anglophone and allophone voters.

Anglade said she will focus largely on the economy in the coming days, suggesting her party’s economic and inflation-fighting proposals are gaining traction among voters.

“It is definitely resonating with people in general when you talk about having enough money in your pocket, when you talk about seniors, when you talk to women,” she said.

Anglade said women “realize that these are very specific proposals that we bring to table that are impacting their lives.”

Watch her press conference:

Quebec Conservatives buy ad in USA Today… and then say ‘USA Today is talking about us’

One in 10 have already cast ballots, with surge of voting in Quebec City

More than one in 10 Quebec voters have already cast ballots, Elections Quebec says.

The provincial agency said the turnout rate on Sunday, the first day of advance polls, was 12.6 per cent. Advance polling continues today.

In 2018, the voter turnout rate over a week of advance voting was 17.9 per cent.

An analysis of the riding-by-riding results shows people in the Quebec City region were particularly keen on voting.

The six ridings with the highest turnout were all in or around the provincial capital:

The Coalition Avenir Québec dominated the Quebec City area in the 2018 election.

This year, some ridings are three-way races between the CAQ, Québec solidaire and the Conservatives.

Some of the lowest turnouts Sunday were in areas with large anglophone and allophone populations that have traditionally been Liberal strongholds.

They include:

To check the turnout in your riding, check out this page on the Elections Quebec website.

Video podcast: ‘It’s a quadruple tie for second place – we haven’t seen this, ever, in Quebec’

With a week left in the campaign, Philippe Fournier, creator of the Qc125.com election projection site, sat down with The Corner Booth podcasters Bill Brownstein, Lesley Chesterman and Aaron Rand to discuss the Quebec election.

Watch it below.

9 a.m.

Leaders tout performances on Tout le monde en parle

9 a.m.

Candidates fire off good zingers in final TV exchange

They were generally polite and well-behaved under the watchful eye of host Guy A. Lepage.

But the five main leaders in the general election did manage to repeat their campaign lines and land a few political zingers against each other before a prime-time Sunday evening television audience.

Read our full story, by Philip Authier.

Quebecers can vote at advance polls today

Today is the final day of advance voting at polling stations.

They can also opt to vote at the offices of returning officers on these days:

The last chance to vote comes on Monday, Oct. 3, election day, when polls will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Leaders urge Quebecers to vote as advance polls open ahead of provincial election

Quebec’s main political party leaders spent Sunday rallying their supporters to head to the polling stations, as Quebecers got a first chance to vote for who will lead them after the Oct. 3 election.

Read our full story.

‘It’s important’: Anglade says Legault should answer referendum question

François Legault owes Quebecers a clear answer on how he would vote should there be a sovereignty referendum in the province, Dominique Anglade says.

Read our full story, by Jesse Feith.

Can Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois bridge the generation gap?

Québec solidaire’s premier-hopeful has not shed the idealism of his student activist days but he’s become more pragmatic — a shift he’s hoping will help him win over older voters.

Read our full profile, by Michelle Lalonde.

Opinion: It’s hard to get excited over Quebec election’s leading candidates

“There are nine days left before Quebec votes, but it seems less an election than a coronation.

With five major parties splitting votes, Premier François Legault could get less than 40 per cent of the popular vote, but 90 per cent of the seats. The only upside is that Legault-worshippers can then join anglo monarchists in singing ‘God Save The King.”

Read Josh Freed’s latest column.

PQ backtracks on promise to present budget plan for independent Quebec before election

The Parti Québécois will not present a “Year 1 budget” as leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon had promised two weeks ago.

Read our full story.

Duhaime calls for strategic vote to get him elected in Quebec City riding

Conservative Party of Quebec Leader went door-to-door Saturday in his riding to call for strategic voting to help get him elected to the National Assembly.

In Quebec City’s Chauveau riding, Duhaime called on Conservative activists who want to see a “real opposition” to François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec to vote for him.

Read our full story.

Québec solidaire would be a ‘responsible and combative’ opposition: Nadeau-Dubois

Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois promises to be “responsible and combative” on the issue of climate change if his party forms the official opposition to another CAQ government following Quebec’s Oct. 3 election.

Read our full story.

What are the five major parties taking part in Quebec’s provincial election?

Here’s a look at the five parties vying to form Quebec’s next government.

Read our full story.

Election Guide: What you need to know about the campaign and voting

How do you check if you’re on the electoral list? Are you allowed to vote? When can ballots be cast?

Read our full story.

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ariga@postmedia.com

Read my previous live blogs here.

1. Quebec election: What you need to know about the campaign and voting

2. Read Andy Riga’s previous live blogs