Quebec votes October 5 with PQ leading latest poll at 29 percent
Party leaders unveiled housing and economic promises Monday with two weeks until election day. PQ maintains lead over CAQ, PLQ, and PCQ.
Sources · Quebec Nouvelles
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Quebec's provincial election is set for October 5, with the Parti Québécois maintaining its lead two weeks from voting day. A Radio Canada-Segma Recherche poll released Monday showed the PQ at 29 percent, ahead of the CAQ at 22 percent, the PLQ at 19 percent, the PCQ at 18 percent, and Québec Solidaire at 12 percent.
Monday saw party leaders unveil competing promises on affordable housing, economic development, and infrastructure. PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon toured the Agora Déclic project in Montreal's Rosemont neighbourhood — a 144-unit facility providing housing and psychosocial support for youth under care of the department of youth protection. The PQ pledged to fund the facility as part of a broader promise to halve homelessness by 2030 if elected.
"One-third of homelessness stems from youth in the care of the DPJ," Plamondon said. "We should give them the opportunity to lead a normal life, just like all other young people."
The PQ also announced a "baby bonus" policy offering families $350 per year for a third or fourth child, part of the party's pro-natalist platform. Quebec's current fertility rate stands at 1.33 children per woman, below the 2.1-child rate experts say is needed to maintain the current population.
Québec Solidaire promised Monday to add 50,000 affordable housing units over four years. Both pledges underscore housing as a central election issue.
Denials of alliance talk shadowed the campaign. CAQ Leader Christine Fréchette suggested over the weekend that Plamondon and Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime's "pro-natalist" and austerity policies were "dovetailing toward" an alliance. Plamondon rejected the suggestion outright at Monday's press conference. "You can agree with a party on one thing and yet agree with other parties on other things and it just doesn't mean anything else that some ideas might be in all parties," he said. He said he would prefer per-issue support from other parties if the PQ fails to win a majority.
Political analyst Daniel Tran cautioned that a PQ majority is far from certain. "It is going to be very hard to go get a majority. Not impossible, but very hard," Tran said. "So that's why it's important that he put that message to encourage his base also to go out and vote."
Advance polling runs September 27–28 from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. at accessible locations across the province. Voters can find their polling place via mail notice, the Élections Québec website, or by calling 1-888-ÉLECTION.
What happens if the PQ wins but falls short of a majority — which parties would supply the support?
How much does the PQ's housing pledge cost, and how would it be funded?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
What were the polling numbers on Monday, September 21?
According to a Radio Canada-Segma Recherche poll, the Parti Québécois led at 29 percent, followed by the CAQ at 22 percent, the PLQ at 19 percent, the PCQ at 18 percent, and Québec Solidaire at 12 percent.
What housing pledges did the PQ and Québec Solidaire announce?
The PQ pledged to fund the Agora Déclic project in Montreal and to halve homelessness by 2030 if elected. Québec Solidaire promised to add 50,000 affordable housing units over four years.
What is Quebec's current fertility rate?
Quebec's fertility rate stands at 1.33 children per woman, below the 2.1-child rate experts say is needed to maintain the current population.
