Quebec election enters final sprint with sovereignty question front and centre

Quebec's election enters its final two weeks with the sovereignty question dominating debate. Five party leaders met Wednesday night in what was billed as the final French-language debate, squaring off over independence, health care, and immigration ahead of the October 5 vote.

The debate marked a shift in how the referendum question gets framed. Political analyst Daniel Tran noted that for the first time, "the referendum wasn't used as a boogeyman, or that we put it under the rug." Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon made his case directly: "Given that we are only two per cent of the French-speaking population in North America, the logical thing is to become a country and that moment is coming."

Other leaders pushed back. Quebec Liberal leader Charles Milliard criticized the PQ's insistence on holding another referendum, saying in a Sherbrooke press conference Thursday that "that stubbornness harms Quebec, and it persists in the idea of holding a referendum when 70 per cent of Quebecers do not want one." Conservative leader Éric Duhaime echoed the sentiment: "I don't think this is the right time at all to delve into a referendum. Seventy per cent of Quebecers don't want one." Duhaime added Thursday that parties were beginning the "final sprint."

Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal defended independence as a democratic choice, telling the debate: "For me, yes, Quebec independence is fundamentally a democratic project." CAQ leader Christine Fréchette argued Quebec can advance within Canada, saying: "We are the ones who will demonstrate that we are capable of moving forward. In this context, it is a Canadian framework."

The CAQ's health-care record came under criticism from other parties during the exchange. Voters will decide between these competing visions on October 5, with 12 days remaining in the campaign.