Quebecers went to the polls to elect the newest prime minister – Montreal

The leaders of Quebec’s five main parties have made their final offers public while waiting for the vote to take place throughout Monday.

The 39-day campaign saw his rivals promising everything from secession and nationalism, to immigration, workers’ rights and parental support.

The separatist Parti Québécois (PQ), which promises a secession referendum in 2029, topped opinion polls during the campaign.

The latest poll conducted by Leger for Journal/TVA Nouvelles shows the PQ at 29 percent, with a 16 percentage point lead among French-speaking voters.

PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon spent much of his campaign on the offensive, and appealed to voters who want a change in government.

According to the Leger poll, 77 percent of voters want change, after eight years of Coalition Avenir Quebec leadership that St-Pierre Plamondon said has produced “disastrous results.”

It remains unclear whether the PQ will sweep the National Assembly with a majority or not, but St-Pierre Plamondon has risen through the ranks to become a party that has not held government since 2014.

The PQ’s legacy is the referendum promise that Quebec’s St-Pierre Plamondon had guaranteed that Quebecers would not hold a referendum until US President Donald Trump was out of office.

But despite St-Pierre Plamondon’s lead in election polls, recent polls on a possible referendum in Quebec favor the federalists.

The PQ is also positioning itself as the party that will put the province’s finances back on track.

The province’s deficit in the last fiscal year was $7.2 billion.

This was an important sticking point for the PQ, as it listened to voters throughout the campaign regarding concerns around affordability, homelessness, immigration, language policy and economic uncertainty as it relates to the United States.

PQ candidate and economist Marceau said a PQ government would reduce overall government spending while lowering taxes on businesses and cutting subsidies to multinational companies.

The party also announced it will balance the provincial budget in 2028-29.

Although the CAQ has repeatedly faced criticism for its handling of provincial affairs over the past eight years, its leader Christine Fréchette said over the weekend that she is relying on voters who are still undecided.

Fréchette said early in the campaign that his real rival was President Trump and that the CAQ would defend Quebec before the federal government as trade negotiations escalated.

He has repeatedly argued that St-Pierre Plamondon’s planned referendum would only further destabilize the province and could add pressure to its economy.

On the topic of the budget, the CAQ leader said his government needed time to address poor financial planning and debt incurred by the Liberal Party before 2018.

Just six months into the role as CAQ leader, Fréchette said he was offering a change in leadership without a change in government, promising a way to “move forward through the storm.”

The Trois-Rivières native was elected in Sanguinet’s election and appointed immigration minister. Less than two years later he changed his mandate to become minister of energy and economy.

He has campaigned on affordability, health care and support for families and senior citizens, with promises including more money for home care and school-related costs.

But former politicians and experts use the term “glass cliff” to describe a woman who takes a leadership position when an organization is already facing a high risk of failure.

According to the poll, support for the CAQ stands at 14 percent, down 10 points since the start of the campaign.

Over the past 39 days, Fréchette was dragged through controversies including the issuance of special French voter cards and claims about foreign interference in the election, which he later admitted were baseless.

Information also circulated regarding plans for a meeting requested by the PQ with the US Department of State earlier this year.

St Pierre Plamondon said all that happened were discussions with consular officials about a possible trip to the US that never took place.

Fréchette said he remained committed to his position and said he would remain leader despite the election results.

Support for Charles Milliard and the Quebec Liberal Party has steadily increased over the past month, reaching a quarter of voter intentions, according to Leger.

Plagued by years of poor performances and scandal, Milliard was determined to bring the Liberal Party back to the top.

From the start, Milliard branded himself as the only federalist candidate in the election, although he said he still believed in putting Quebec first.

“I lean more towards the ‘Quebec first’ spectrum. But I believe that Canada is something extraordinary and we should contribute,” he said.

On Sunday, Milliard took a stand against the PQ and urged those opposed to the referendum to vote strategically for the Liberal Party.

The Liberal leader focused much of his campaign on Quebec’s economy, promising support for business owners, as well as progress on education, apprenticeships and a mental health commission.

Milliard had never served as an elected official and, at the start of the campaign, his name was unknown to many voters. But over the past 39 days he has strengthened his stance and captured the attention of many English-speaking voters in Quebec.

Support for the Conservative Party has also slowly gained momentum since the start of the campaign. According to the Leger poll, Éric Duhaime received 20 percent of the vote.

The Conservative Party leader spent much of his campaign distancing himself from other parties. He relentlessly criticized his rivals for being too bureaucratic and wasteful, while promising to address the cost of living for Quebecers through massive tax cuts and cuts to the size and cost of government.

If his party holds the balance of power in a legislature led by the minority Parti Québécois, he has also promised to use his power to stop the sovereignty referendum.

“We will ensure that the ‘Yes’ bus and the ‘No’ bus remain just a fantasy of (Liberal Leader) Charles Milliard and (Parti Québécois Leader) Paul St-Pierre Plamondon,” he said.

When asked who would make the best prime minister, Duhaime came in third with 14 percent of the vote, according to Leger. He came in second in a poll to select the leader who ran the best campaign.

Duhaime remained relatively unaffected during the campaign, but he is no stranger to hot-button political issues.

In 2016, the politician faced backlash for comments deemed Islamophobic and sexist.

Support for Duhaime is highest among men and those aged 35 to 54.

The lowest support remains for Quebec Solidaire (SQ) candidate Ruba Ghazal, who helped found the party 20 years ago, although the SQ is still expected to win several seats in the national assembly.

The Beirut native who moved to Canada at the age of 10 says he has an autonomous vision for Quebec, but it’s much more inclusive than the PQ’s.

“I want Quebec to be able to speak out and defend our own interests. We don’t need anyone to do it for us,” he said as he launched his campaign. “It is also important to make English-speaking people or immigrants aware that this independence project is for them. [too].”

Ghazal said he would provide “solutions” to problems plaguing the province such as housing, the cost of living and the environment. He is adamant that the province needs a change of leadership.

Support for left-wing candidates is highest in Montreal and despite the slim chance of his party forming a government, he urged voters not to vote strategically in close quarters.

“The public is fed up with strategic voting. What they need is for their voices to be heard,” he said. “I, I invite Quebecers to vote with their hearts.”

Quebecers will go to the polls Monday night.

– With files from The Canadian Press