‘CAQ waste,’ Fréchette’s record under attack during first Quebec election debate

Christine Fréchette tried to distance herself from the Coalition Avenir Québec’s recent track record. The other party leaders were adamant not to let her.

Fréchette kicked off the Quebec election campaign’s first televised debate on Tuesday by telling Quebecers: “I am not François Legault,” referencing her predecessor, the former premier who led the province for close to eight years before resigning.

“I am Christine Fréchette, and I come with my own way of doing things,” she said.

The CAQ, which was in a downward spiral at the time of Legault’s resignation, went through a rebrand this campaign, removing the words “Coalition Avenir Québec” from electoral posters in favour of Fréchette’s name.

But time and again during TVA’s Face-à-Face — the leader debate taking place at the exact halfway point of the election campaign — the party leaders worked hard to present Fréchette as a continuation of Legault, not a break from him.

Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who has consistently led in opinion polls and is projected to become the next premier, was chief among them. He was adamant about portraying Fréchette as the exact image of the CAQ’s track record.

St-Pierre Plamondon repeatedly recalled scandals and spending fiascos like Northvolt, SAAQclic and the recently reported ballooning costs of the SIFA digital health project.

“No more CAQ waste,” the PQ leader said in his opening statement.

“Do we want 12 years of the CAQ?”

The most recent CAQ overspending fiasco suggests Fréchette’s government ignored an analysis that estimated a major Santé Québec IT project, known as SIFA, could cost $1 billion rather than the $96 million initially projected.

“They can’t waste money like it’s Monopoly money,” St-Pierre Plamondon said.

Fréchette said the figures were incorrect and overblown, pointing to Quebec’s minister of cybersecurity and digital technology having disputed the report. The CAQ leader hit back at the PQ leader, saying he “doesn’t understand how government works, especially when he talks about SIFA.”

In the same breath, Fréchette took another dig at St-Pierre Plamondon, saying he “wasn’t even there at the unveiling of his economic platform.”

Earlier Tuesday, the Parti Québécois released the financial plan of its election campaign platform at an announcement without St-Pierre Plamondon. The PQ is promising to balance the provincial budget by 2028-29, a year earlier than the current Quebec government’s projections.

In a head to head with Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime, whose own economic platform was characterized by opponents as eccentric and purposefully unrealistic, the PQ leader boasted he had “the best economic team.”

Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard made a similar claim, urging Quebecers to recognize the Liberals as a strong economic party that could lead the way past U.S. tariffs while working closely with Canada.

Collaborating with Carney?

When St-Pierre Plamondon insisted Milliard was servile to the federal government, Milliard described that comment as a “fear campaign.” Moments earlier, Plamondon said he was willing to “collaborate” with Prime Minister Mark Carney, a line that raised eyebrows from others on the dais.

“That’s new,” interjected Milliard.

“If and when it’s in Quebec’s interests,” replied the PQ leader. “Respect for Quebec is non-negotiable.”

“It is indeed new that Mr. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon wants to collaborate with the federal government,” chimed in Fréchette.

Milliard joined the other leaders in putting Fréchette on the backfoot. Echoing St-Pierre Plamondon, he listed economic fiascos under the CAQ and claimed that overspending and waste “is hurting the province’s health network.” The Liberal leader also said the CAQ destabilized the economy and “doesn’t in any way represent the changes Quebecers need.”

On Quebec separation, Milliard issued “a simple question” to Fréchette: “Are you in favour of separation? Why can’t you answer that question?” It’s a question Fréchette has long deflected, though she says Quebec does not want a referendum and that it would only add to the province’s current instability.

Duhaime and Milliard also said they were opposed to a separation referendum, with the Conservative leader using a oft-repeated “locking the garage” analogy to drive home his point.

‘Come back down to Earth’

That debate on separation spilled over into the next two topics, on minority governments and relations with First Nations, and though it was somewhat off topic, it led to a heated exchange between St-Pierre Plamondon and Fréchette.

Fréchette appeared to ridicule the PQ’s plan to “create a Quebec currency, a Quebec army, and listen to this, a Quebec space agency.”

“I would like to tell Mr. Plamondon, come back down to Earth and work on true priorities. While he’s working on rocket ships, I’m working on health care.”

St-Pierre Plamondon described the CAQ leader’s rhetoric as “pessimistic.”

“Mme. Fréchette can try to ridicule what every nation does, having a currency and an army, but that’s not the topic,” St-Pierre Plamondon said.

“I’m not hiding my convictions, I’m not hiding the name of my party. I’m dreaming of a better world, notably in our relations with First Nations.

“Look at the quality of the people on our team. We have a vision for society, not a pessimistic narrative or a Jean Charest-style speech, like the one I unfortunately just heard.”

Tuesday’s debate, which was hosted by TVA’s Paul Larocque, focused on three main themes: the economy, taxes and public services, and the future of Quebec.

WATCH: Reaction from party leaders after first debate of election campaign

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Other key moments

Fréchette accused Duhaime of wanting to make $47 billion in cuts to the Quebec government over five years. That’s not “truly daring, it’s truly tearing things down,” she said alluding to the Conservative campaign slogan.

Milliard went to head to head with Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal on housing, with Ghazal saying the Liberals’ plan to build 100,000 more homes “with only $1.5 billion” is not possible.

Duhaime criticized Ghazal’s pledge to establish state-funded supermarkets to help with the rising cost of groceries, describing it as an idea more fitting for communist Cuba.

Early in the debate, St-Pierre Plamondon accused Duhaime of speaking like a party leader who was resigned to lose the election to the PQ. Duhaime, whose party polled at 17 per cent this week, urged St-Pierre Plamondon to “stay humble.”

“I will ensure that the Conservatives are strong in the National Assembly to act as watchdogs for you, in case you stray and revert to your old habits,” Duhaime said.

A second leaders’ debate will take place Wednesday.

Quebec voters go to the polls Oct. 5.