Quebec Liberals start ‘long march’
Couillard announces campaign will officially begin on Aug. 23
Quebec’s provincial election campaign will kick off Thursday, Aug. 23, Premier Philippe Couillard announced Saturday.
Ending the one bit of mystery left — given Quebec’s fixed-date election law, which stipulates the vote will take place Oct. 1 — Couillard revealed he has opted for the longer campaign formula.
His decision means the campaign will last a total of 39 days.
This will be Quebec’s 42nd general election and Couillard’s attempt at a second mandate after four years in office. With the exception of the short-lived Parti Québécois minority government of Pauline Marois, the Liberals have ruled Quebec for 15 years.
Couillard put an end to the speculation in a closing speech to 500 Liberal youth wing members gathered at Montreal’s east-end Centre Pierre-Charbonneau for their annual policy convention.
“Today we are starting the long march to the re-election of the Liberal Party of Quebec,” Couillard told his audience.
“Are you ready for the fight? Ready for victory?” he asked as the crowd answered “Yes” loudly. “Well, I too am ready.
“I am announcing that on Oct. 1, in 50 days, Quebecers will elect a new majority government.”
Without mentioning his adversaries by name, Couillard issued a warning to voters — in French and English.
“On Oct. 1, Quebecers will have a choice to make,” he said. “False change and illusions, or the strong Quebec we have built. A government that is for the economy, for education and for health. And a government that is also improving the life of all Quebecers.”
Liberal strategists had toyed for days with the time issue; the campaign could have been as short as 33 days. They finally decided a longer campaign will do the party more good than harm.
The belief is it will provide more opportunities for the Liberals’ main adversary, the Coalition Avenir Québec and its leader François Legault, to fumble the ball, while giving the Liberals some wiggle room to shore up support in the far-flung regions where they are weakest.
“Six extra days is not trivial,” Couillard, sporting a light blue summer jacket and no tie, said later at an outdoor news conference. He noted a 33-day campaign would, in fact, have been even shorter because the fall period includes the Labour Day holiday weekend.
The four leaders — Couillard, Legault, Jean-François Lisée for the Parti Québécois and Manon Massé for Québec solidaire — have also committed to holding three televised all-candidates debates, including one in English on Sept. 17, which will gobble up even more time because the election caravans will have to detour into Montreal.
Couillard also wants to visit all the regions of Quebec — something his rivals will rapidly decide to do as well, even though it will cost them precious election spending money.
The race will be intense, with the stakes high for all parties. The latest Léger poll, produced in midJune, showed support for the CAQ at 37 per cent, which means it is within striking distance of a majority government.
The Liberals were second at 28 per cent, the PQ third with support at 19 per cent and QS at nine per cent.
The parties have been on an election footing for months, with buses and flights already booked. The CAQ, which will campaign with the message that it alone represents the change Quebecers crave, has announced nearly all its candidates, while the other parties are not far behind.
The Liberals, however, have yet to announce their candidates in four key Montreal stronghold ridings — Jacques-Cartier, Nelligan, Westmount– Saint-Louis and Bourassa-Sauvé — with plenty of chatter about that in the halls over the weekend.
By surrounding himself with youth, Couillard’s strategy was to show the Liberals have renewed themselves despite many years in office. But it won’t be a cakewalk, Liberals admit.
“We are facing a very difficult election,” campaign chairman Alexandre Taillefer told the crowd at midday. “It is a war which will be won in the trenches, and we will need all of you to help out.”
He tempered Quebecers’ desire for change, saying now is not the time to take a “beau risque” with the economy by electing the CAQ.
Liberal youth wing president Stéphane Stril had choice words for Legault on Saturday, bluntly accusing him of having no interest in issues important to youth, such as the environment, poverty and Quebec’s place in the world.
The election will be the first time in about 50 years that the sovereignty/federalism debate is not front and centre in the campaign, and Quebecers will be faced with deciding who is best to govern the province.
The Liberals will try to breathe life into the old debate for their own political needs, despite Legault’s promise to not hold another referendum.
“I don’t think he (Legault) can be trusted on Canada,” Couillard said earlier, arriving for a meeting of the Liberal caucus. “I never heard him say he has any commitment to Canada. He tolerates Canada.”
The Liberal youth also spent time debating policy, including adopting a controversial proposal that — if enacted by the government — would peg government grants for cultural organizations to their willingness to include more minorities.
The motion, which passed narrowly, was presented in the wake of the controversies over the theatre production SLĀV at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, a show with predominantly white actors portraying the history of black slave songs, and the show Kanata, which was to focus on Indigenous issues.
But at his news conference, Couillard slapped down the idea, saying he prefers more dialogue.
“I would not go to a point where the state, through financial means, wants to have an influence on artistic creation,” he said. “I don’t think that’s the way to go.”