After battling back from inner party turmoil and record lows in party support, Pauline Marois and the Parti Québécois have claimed victory over the incumbent Liberals and will form the province’s next government, CBC News projects.
A personal victory for Marois, who struggled with support in her own party during in the year before the election, the party will now have to figure out how to move forward with its lengthy platform that focused on sovereignty, identity issues and heightening the province’s language laws.
Marois, 63, will now become the province's first female premier.
The PQ win marks a significant loss for the Liberals, who, after nine years in power, gambled on a summer election a year before the end of their mandate.
Long-time premier Jean Charest lost his bet that student turmoil and a soft economy would be enough to push voters to support a Liberal government for a fourth term.
[h=3]Heated campaign[/h]This campaign wasn’t a walk in the park for any party, with all leaders traversing the province and revving up the engines of their get-out-the-vote machine until its dying hours.
The Liberals were in the fight for their political lives since Day 1 of the 35-day campaign.
The PQ, with sights set on a majority government of their own, and the upstart CAQ were quick to try to claim an advantage by highlighting the Liberal record on economic issues, the continuing corruption inquiry into the construction industry and the government’s handling of the tuition crisis and resulting civil unrest last spring.
But while the election was largely triggered by mounting pressure over province’s student situation, the tuition issue did not play a significantly large role in the campaign.
The PQ, the official opposition when the national assembly was dissolved at the beginning of August, focused its campaign on identity issues, appealing to the party base with promises such as the creation of a Quebec citizenship, increasing pressure on Ottawa to give the province more powers, stronger language laws and another referendum.
The CAQ, which only formed in earnest at the end of last year, made “Le grand ménage,” or a political clean sweep, a campaign priority with promises ranging from Bill 1, legislation to tackle corruption in the public sphere, to a streamlined public service and the dissolution of school boards.
Though led by François Legault, a former PQ finance minister, sovereignty wasn’t high on the party’s messaging agenda. Only when pressed did Legault address the issue, stating several times he was neither a sovereigntist nor a federalist, but a “nationalist.”
He promised any future referendum would be put on hold for 10 years to ensure the province got its economic house in order and there was enough popular support for sovereignty.
While not expected to claim large victories, Québec Solidaire could also see its seats expand once the ballots are counted. Françoise David, co-spokesperson for the party, saw her support rise after a composed and tempered appearance at the consortium debate, a first for the party. She is challenging PQ MNA Nicolas Girard in the Gouin riding he’s held since 2004.
In total, voters will elect 125 representatives tonight to form the legislature’s 40th national assembly. Sixty-three seats are required to form a majority government.
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A personal victory for Marois, who struggled with support in her own party during in the year before the election, the party will now have to figure out how to move forward with its lengthy platform that focused on sovereignty, identity issues and heightening the province’s language laws.
Marois, 63, will now become the province's first female premier.
The PQ win marks a significant loss for the Liberals, who, after nine years in power, gambled on a summer election a year before the end of their mandate.
Long-time premier Jean Charest lost his bet that student turmoil and a soft economy would be enough to push voters to support a Liberal government for a fourth term.
[h=3]Heated campaign[/h]This campaign wasn’t a walk in the park for any party, with all leaders traversing the province and revving up the engines of their get-out-the-vote machine until its dying hours.
The Liberals were in the fight for their political lives since Day 1 of the 35-day campaign.
The PQ, with sights set on a majority government of their own, and the upstart CAQ were quick to try to claim an advantage by highlighting the Liberal record on economic issues, the continuing corruption inquiry into the construction industry and the government’s handling of the tuition crisis and resulting civil unrest last spring.
But while the election was largely triggered by mounting pressure over province’s student situation, the tuition issue did not play a significantly large role in the campaign.
The PQ, the official opposition when the national assembly was dissolved at the beginning of August, focused its campaign on identity issues, appealing to the party base with promises such as the creation of a Quebec citizenship, increasing pressure on Ottawa to give the province more powers, stronger language laws and another referendum.
The CAQ, which only formed in earnest at the end of last year, made “Le grand ménage,” or a political clean sweep, a campaign priority with promises ranging from Bill 1, legislation to tackle corruption in the public sphere, to a streamlined public service and the dissolution of school boards.
Though led by François Legault, a former PQ finance minister, sovereignty wasn’t high on the party’s messaging agenda. Only when pressed did Legault address the issue, stating several times he was neither a sovereigntist nor a federalist, but a “nationalist.”
He promised any future referendum would be put on hold for 10 years to ensure the province got its economic house in order and there was enough popular support for sovereignty.
While not expected to claim large victories, Québec Solidaire could also see its seats expand once the ballots are counted. Françoise David, co-spokesperson for the party, saw her support rise after a composed and tempered appearance at the consortium debate, a first for the party. She is challenging PQ MNA Nicolas Girard in the Gouin riding he’s held since 2004.
In total, voters will elect 125 representatives tonight to form the legislature’s 40th national assembly. Sixty-three seats are required to form a majority government.
Accessibility Links