Quebec election Day 27: Conservative Party gains ground with tuition cuts and constitutional promises on ballot

The Quebec Conservative Party is building momentum in the final stretch of the provincial election campaign, now just under two weeks away from polling day on October 5. According to a Léger–Le Journal–TVA poll released Tuesday, the PCQ has gained 3 percentage points in one week as voters' second choice, standing at 17 per cent overall. The party is polling at 34 per cent in the Quebec City area—its strongest regional showing.

PCQ Leader Éric Duhaime said the party is courting young voters and anglophones with a message of fiscal discipline and provincial autonomy. "We want to change the Quebec model, the Quebec bureaucratic model," Duhaime said. The party is promising to cut taxes drastically and reduce government waste. "Leave more money in your wallet as workers," he said.

Duhaime also addressed the referendum question that has dominated the campaign. He pledged that if the PCQ holds the balance of power, "there will be no referendum." He ruled out coalitions with any party, including the Parti Québécois, Liberals, or CAQ.

The PCQ platform includes a Quebec constitution, a "shield law" asserting the primacy of Quebec laws, enshrining French as the sole official language, and pushing for devolution of federal powers on immigration, energy, and environmental policies.

Meanwhile, Québec Solidaire is focusing on affordability for young people. QS candidate Alexandre Boulerice, running for Gouin, said: "Young people need to regain hope for the future and rediscover the conviction that it is possible to live well, without constant insecurity." The party is promising to slash tuition fees by half at CEGEPs and universities and plans to work toward a fully free education model later.

The Liberal Party is targeting voters on the South Shore with a promise to expand Highway 30 between Brossard and Boucherville. Leader Charles Milliard said: "People on Montreal's South Shore have been waiting far too long after the CAQ's false promises." The Liberals say the CAQ made no progress on the expansion despite promising it in the past two elections. Highway 30 currently carries an estimated 50,000 to 85,000 vehicles daily.

The Parti Québécois continues to lead in voter intention, while the Liberals sit in second place with little recent movement. Advance voting begins September 27.