Live – Quebec election: ‘There’s no perfect voting system’ – Legault rules out electoral reform 

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Live: ‘There’s no perfect voting system’ – Legault rules out electoral reform

(This item is being updated)

Premier François Legault is holding his first post-election press conference.

Speaking in Île-d’Orléans, he thanked the 1.7 million Quebecers who voted for the Coalition Avenir Québe and the 4 million people who cast ballots.

Legault noted that the CAQ made gains in several regions and now has representatives in all 17 regions of the province.

“Our caucus well represents all of Quebec,” he said, noting 41 of his 90 MNAs are women.

Legault said in his second mandate, his early priorities are to focus on helping Quebecers deal with sky-high inflation, and improving the education and health care systems.

Legault apologized for his hoarse voice.

“We partied a bit last night,” Legault said.

A reporter asked him if he feels he has to rebuild bridges with cultural communities after a campaign marked by controversial CAQ statements about immigration.

In response, he said he wants to work with cultural communities, immigrants and the English-speaking population to protect the French language.

Legault was asked if he will consider reforming the electoral system. In yesterday’s election, the CAQ won 41 per cent of the vote but got 72 per cent of the seats in the National Assembly.

“There is no voting system that is perfect.”

In Beauce-Sud, Poulin concedes to Poulin

St-Pierre Plamondon rules out alliance with Québec solidaire

From La Presse Canadienne:

Parties in the National Assembly must agree to grant budgets and speaking time to the Parti Québécois, because its three seats obtained do not reflect the will of Quebecers, party leader Paul St -Pierre Plamondon said today.

Pending a reform of the voting system, the parties must find accommodations to make room for the PQ, he told reporters in Boucherville.

“Already there is an injustice in the number of MNAs.

“Are we going to aggravate the injustice by not allowing the PQ to have an operating budget and by giving questions in proportion to the number of seats?”

The PQ won only three of the 125 seats in the National Assembly, despite garnering 14.6 per cent of the vote. The Quebec Liberal Party remains the official opposition with 21 seats, though it won fewer votes than the PQ.

This distortion is explained by the fact that the Liberal vote, concentrated in the Montreal region, enabled it to win more seats. The PQ electorate is more evenly across several regions of Quebec.

The PQ and Québec solidaire want the electoral system reformed. The governing Coalition Avenir Québec and the Liberals have opposed changes in the past.

If other parties refuse to discuss giving the PQ a budget and time in Question Period, it will be “an attack on democracy,” St-Pierre Plamondon said.

He said he is also in favour of the idea of ​​giving space to Éric Duhaime’s Conservative party even though the PQ and Conservatives are diametrically opposed on most issues. Despite the support of 12.9 per cent of voters, the Conservatives won no seats.

“A party that makes more than 10 per cent must be heard in the National Assembly,” St-Pierre Plamondon said.

The PQ leader said he has no interest in joining forces with the other sovereignist party – Québec solidaire. He said the two parties “do not have the same DNA” and each has its place in Quebec.

“I have already reached out to Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois on the reform of the voting system and we agree on that,” St-Pierre Plamondon said.

Young people have spoken – and they want Québec solidaire in charge

Elections Quebec organized a vote for Quebecers under 18 through 850 schools and organizations.

A total of 107,318 young people voted.

Unlike adults, these voters would have sent Conservative and Bloc Montréal MNAs to the National Assembly.

The leaders of those two parties – Éric Duhaime and Balarama Holness, respectively – won their seats.

Here are the results:

Here’s how the last Léger poll compares to the election results

Plante says she’ll work with Legault ‘on issues important to Montrealers’

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante congratulated the Legault government on its re-election Tuesday, saying she wants to work with Quebec on issues important to Montrealers, such as housing, mobility, public security and the ecological transition.

Read our full story, by Katherine Wilton.

1 p.m.

Opinion: Quebec election results point to need for electoral reform

“Hail to ‘Le Chef.”’ The Duplessis era has returned in full force. Where the former strongman Union Nationale premier went after Jehovah’s Witnesses, François Legault has targeted just about anyone who’s not like him: immigrants, anglos, religious minorities. He has even stirred the pot with First Nations, for good measure.

“His final social media post prior to Election Day wasn’t a stirring appeal based on principle or vision. It was, literally: ‘vote for me and I’ll send you a cheque of between $400 and $600 before Christmas.'”

Read Tom Mulcair’s latest column.

1 p.m.

Bloc Québécois leader congratulates St-Pierre Plamondon for ‘exciting campaign’ that rallied youth, sovereignists

Canada has a ‘strong democracy,’ Trudeau says

At a press conference this morning, a reporter asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau whether Premier François Legault’s election victory could fuel cynicism since he won 41 per cent of the vote and 72 per cent of the seats in the National Assembly.

“When you look around the world, we can be reassured that in Canada we have a strong democracy,” Trudeau responded.

“And we have elections that take place with debates that are fierce but that are conducted in peace and civility.”

Trudeau added: “There are always conversations that can be had on how to improve voter turnout and reduce cynicism that people have toward politics, but we also see that millions of people contributed (because they) want to have their say in the future of their province and their country.”

Trudeau was at a press conference in Halifax at which he announced a $300-million Hurricane Fiona recovery fund.

Watch his press conference:

Conservatives came second in Quebec City and Beauce regions but won no seats

The Liberals are refusing to concede in Verdun: report

La Presse is reporting that the Quebec Liberal Party is refusing to concede in Verdun.

Liberal Isabelle Melançon lost to Québec solidaire’s Alejandra Zaga Mendez by 461 votes, according to Elections Quebec.

The riding has voted Liberal since the Second World War.

Parties have four days to ask for recounts.

Manon Massé denounces online Islamophobic hate directed at new Québec solidare MNA

Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Manon Massé has denounced online Islamaphobic hate directed at Haroun Bouazzi, who was elected last night in Montreal’s Maurice-Richard riding.

“The formidable Haroun Bouazzi has earned his place in the National Assembly,” Massé said via Twitter.

“Hatred and Islamophobia have no place in Quebec.

“I invite us collectively as elected officials and citizens to denounce this toxic climate and warmly welcome our new colleague.”

Ontario premier congratulates Legault

Pollsters were close to the mark, Université de Montréal expert says

Qc125’s seat projection was pretty close

11 a.m.

Quebec records lowest voter turnout since 2008

Elections Quebec says 66.06 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots in the election.

That’s the lowest since 2008.

Here are the voter turnout rates from the last four Quebec general elections:

Conservatives to call for recounts in two Beauce ridings

The Quebec Conservative Party will call for recounts in two ridings where their candidates lost by margins of less than 500 votes.

Read our full story.

CAQ won 41% of the vote – and 72% of the seats in the National Assembly

Elections Quebec says the ballot counting is over.

Here’s a look at the results.

CAQ: 90 seats, 41 per cent of the popular vote

François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec increased its seat count by 16. Its popular vote also went up – by almost four percentage points.

The party won 41 per cent of the popular vote – and 72 per cent of the National Assembly’s 125 seats.

The CAQ also:

Liberals: 21 seats, 14.3 per cent of the popular vote

Leader Dominique Anglade won her riding (St-Henri–Ste-Anne) and held on to most strongholds but the Liberals did very poorly overall, with francophone voters shunning the party.

The party won 10 fewer seats than in 2018. Its share of the popular vote fell by more than 10 percentage points.

The Liberals won:

Québec Solidaire: 11 seats, 15.4 per cent of the popular vote

Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois’s seat count went up by one compared to 2018, but its percentage of the popular vote fell by almost a full percentage point.

The party won:

Parti Québécois: three seats, 14.6 per cent of the popular vote

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s party saw both its seat count and share of the popular vote fall. It won seven fewer seats than in 2018 and its share of the vote fell by 2.4 percentage points.

The party won:

Conservatives: zero seats, 12.9 per cent of the popular vote.

Éric Duhaime managed to put the Conservatives on the map. Its share of the popular vote was just 1.5 per cent in 2018.

But it failed to win the seats, despite hopes that it would make inroads in Quebec City and the Beauce.

Duhaime is the only leader not to win a seat but in a concession speech last night he vowed to lead the party into the next general election in four years.

‘National Assembly will continue to suffer from a huge democratic deficit,’ Duhaime says

Only Québec solidaire resisted the CAQ wave: Nadeau-Dubois

‘Our work continues,’ Balarama Holness says

CAQ steamrolls Quebec but stalls in Montreal

A new mandate and it’s a whopper.

With his opposition splintered into four different parties and Quebecers in a mood for stability, François Legault Monday easily sailed into his second mandate as a premier with a majority government.

Read our full story, by Philip Authier.

Quebec election results: ‘I will be the premier of all Quebecers,’ François Legault says after winning huge majority

A blow-by-blow account of election night.

Read last night’s live blog.

ariga@postmedia.com

Read my previous live blogs here.

1. Quebec election results: 'I will be the premier of all Quebecers,' François Legault says after winning huge majority

2. CAQ steamrolls Quebec but stalls in Montreal