Quebec Election Day 25: Leaders preparing for second and final French debate

Quebec’s party leaders will be spending much of the day preparing for the second and final debate of the election campaign, as polls show the governing Coalition Avenir Québec firmly in the lead.

The CAQ’s four main opponents — the Liberals, Québec solidaire, the Conservatives and the Parti Québécois — are in a virtual tie for second place, according to the latest Leger poll, which put the CAQ at 38 per cent.

That poll put the PQ at 13 per cent support and the three other major parties at 16 per cent as the Oct. 3 election draws near.

Meanwhile, CAQ Leader and incumbent premier François Legault is looking to avoid saying things at Thursday night’s debate on Radio-Canada for which he would have to apologize.

Legault said he was sorry on Tuesday for comments he made at last week’s debate, during which he repeatedly said that racism against Indigenous people at a Quebec hospital was “settled.” He has also had to walk back comments made earlier in the campaign when he linked immigration to violence.

Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade held a news conference Wednesday morning on Montreal’s south shore – promising that if elected, the Liberals would create a Minister responsible for those with disabilities and a Secretariat responsible for this file.

“They can have actually a voice, a voice within the government that doesn’t exist today,” said Anglade.

The Liberal would also hold a summit to determine priorities on this issue within 100 days of taking office.

Other promises included:

– Implement an internship program with wage subsidies to allow more businesses to integrate people living with disabilities or on the autism spectrum.
– Create an official photo ID for people who do not have a driver’s license;
– Develop, in collaboration with community partners, an action plan on the provision of respite care for families of people living with a disability to meet their needs.

Annonce du jour https://t.co/bkFNcAoUHv

— Dominique Anglade (@DomAnglade) September 21, 2022

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2022