Is Quebec political scene going back to normal?

Quebec voters have made history. They turned away from a half-century of electoral wars over sovereignty — and the parties that waged them — and handed the seven-year-old, centre-right Coalition Avenir Québec a clear majority in Monday’s provincial election.

The results — CAQ won 74 of 125 seats in the National Assembly and more than 37 per cent of the popular vote — affirmed CAQ Leader François Legault’s conviction that the never-ending debate over separatism was deflecting attention from Quebec’s more pressing issues.

It’s the first time since 1966 that a party other than the Liberals or Parti Québécois have won an election. It’s a sign Quebec may finally be going back to politics along traditional liberal/ conservative lines.

Philippe Couillard’s incumbent Liberals might have expected a better result, given the province’s strong economic performance in recent years.

But, as has become a theme in recent Canadian elections, voters clearly wanted change. Liberals had been in power for 13 of the last 15 years and the party is still dealing with the taint of corruption scandals during former Liberal premier Jean Charest’s tenure.

The PQ was reduced to nine seats and lost official party status. The PQ and left-leaning, séparatiste Québec solidaire, which won 10 seats in its own breakthrough, still took a combined 33 per cent of the popular vote — indicating sovereignty retains significant support. But a strong majority of voters clearly are no longer seized with the primacy of the Quebec independence question.

That’s good news for all Canadians.

The CAQ has a strong mandate for its flagship policies — cutting taxes, further subsidizing universal daycare and, most controversially, limiting immigration and demanding newcomers learn French or face eviction after three years. But implementing the last one may prove challenging.

Business groups warn that Quebec, with its record-low unemployment, is already facing a labour shortage. And there are questions about how far Quebec can cut immigration sharply without Ottawa’s assistance. Meanwhile, CAQ’s victory has erased more Liberal red from the country’s provincial power map, much to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s distaste. With Canada’s two biggest provinces now leaning right a year before the next federal election, Trudeau knows the ride is only going to get bumpier.