Hello,
Quebeckers are voting on Monday in a provincial election where polls have the Coalition Avenir Québec out front, raising questions about who will come second.
CAQ Leader François Legault and his party have, over the five-week campaign, been fending off challenges from a crowded field of rivals, namely the Quebec Liberal Party, Québéc Solidaire, the Parti Québécois and the Conservative Party of Quebec .
As parties hit the campaign trail, Mr. Legault’s party had 76 seats in the National Assembly. The Quebec Liberals had 27 and Québéc Solidaire had 10. There were seven Parti Quebecois members, one member of the Conservative Party of Quebec and four Independents. There’s an overview here of what the parties were promising voters.
When the CAQ won the 2018 election, it was a break in a political dynamic spanning five decades that had seen federalists and separatists governing the province.
There’s a story here on the final day of campaigning, as party leaders made a final appeal to voters. And Globe and Mail Montreal Reporter Eric Andrew-Gee explores here how Mr. Legault found the sweet spot of Quebec politics, taking years to get his brand of paternal populism just right.
Polls close at 8 p.m. ET. Watch The Globe and Mail for election updates this evening.
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Ian Bailey. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you're reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
TODAY'S HEADLINES
CANADA ANNOUNCES NEW IRANIAN SANCTIONS - Canada is sanctioning 25 senior Iranian officials and nine government entities following a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran. Story here.
NEW DETAILS ON HOCKEY CANADA FINANCIAL RESERVES - Several years after Hockey Canada began using player registration fees to build a large financial reserve known as the National Equity Fund to cover sexual assault claims and other lawsuits, it channelled a significant portion of that money into a second multimillion-dollar fund for similar purposes. Story here.
GLOBE INVESTIGATION FINDS INEQUITIES IN SALARIES FOR FEMALE ONTARIO DOCTORS - Female doctors in Ontario made less on average than their male counterparts in 35 medical specialties tracked by the Ministry of Health, a Globe and Mail analysis of physician billings has shown. This was true even in specialties such as obstetrics and gynecology, where the majority of practising doctors were women. Story here.
FORMER SENATOR FACES SEXUAL ASSAULT AND CRIMINAL HARASSMENT CHARGES - A former Canadian senator has been charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of criminal harassment in relation to alleged incidents during which he was still a member of Parliament’s upper house. Story here.
RELATIVELY LOW INTEREST IN FEDERAL INDIGENOUS COURSES: CBC - The federal government offers its employees a variety of Indigenous cultural awareness and sensitivity programs through the Canada School of Public Service, but participation in the optional sessions is relatively low. Story here from CBC.
PRIME MINISTER TAKES THE PLUNGE - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a plunge this weekend when he went bungee jumping just outside of the Ottawa area over the weekend. Story here from CTV.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, Oct. 3, accessible here.
DAYS SINCE CONSERVATIVE LEADER PIERRE POILIEVRE TOOK MEDIA QUESTIONS IN OTTAWA: 20
SOLOMON EXIT - Evan Solomon is leaving his role as host of CTV’s Power Play and Question Period shows to become the new Publisher of GZERO Media and member of the Eurasia Group Management Committee - details here. However, he will continue his professional connection with CTV, working as a special correspondent focused on Canadian politics and global affairs. Mr. Solomon explains here.
FREELAND AT FINANCE COMMITTEE - Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was scheduled to appear Monday at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance to discuss Bill C-30, the Cost of Living Relief Act, No.1 (Targeted Tax Relief). Details here. The appearance was being screened here.
THE DECIBEL
On Monday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, infectious disease specialist, Dr. Lisa Barrett answers COVID-19 questions, such as: When you get sick, is there any way to tell if it’s COVID-19 or the flu or a cold? How long should you isolate if you have COVID-19? What’s the right time frame to get a bivalent vaccine – and what does bivalent mean? The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in the Ottawa region, was scheduled to present the Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence.
LEADERS
No schedules provided for party leaders.
TRIBUTE
The flag on the Peace Tower flew at half mast Sunday as funeral services were held for Bill Blaikie, who represented Winnipeg for the NDP in the House of Commons for three decades. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh attended the service in Winnipeg. Mr. Blaikie died on Sept. 24, aged 71. There’s an obituary here by Ottawa reporter Shannon Proudfoot.
PUBLIC OPINION
British Columbia Premier John Horgan is dodging the scandal and unpopularity that dogged his predecessors upon their political exits, with data from the Angus Reid Institute suggesting those surveyed in the province will remember him as an outstanding or above-average premier. However, the path ahead is more complicated for his presumed successor David Eby. Details here.
READER OPINION
Reader Lois Avison writes on the Sept. 29 Politics Briefing newsletter, available here, which dealt, in part, with the fate of an NDP bill to lower the voting age to 16.
How well I remember the days when I was 16, and thought I had the world by the tail. I thought I knew everything that I needed to know at that time. And yes, I probably did know a lot, but about what? 75 years later it is easy to see that I didn’t know or hadn’t had the time to internalize what I did know about the ways of the world. We learn so much from what went before us. Those who don’t pay attention to history and learn from decisions made, all in good faith, by decision makers of earlier days, will never understand all the information and intelligence that needs to be taken into consideration for decisions of today. Oh to be so young again and think I knew so much. Now I know how little I understood of world politics, and am happy I was not allowed to vote during those hay days of youth.
Lois Avison, White Rock, B.C.
OPINION
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail) on how there can be no end to the war in Ukraine that leaves Russian President Vladimir Putin in power: “This is not the old Soviet Union, menacing but methodical. This is a personal dictatorship, as unrestrained by the institutions of lawful government as by concern for human life or even prudent assessment of risk: Hitler with nukes. So long as Mr. Putin is in power the world is not safe. Therefore, he must be removed from power. It cannot end otherwise.”
Kelly Cryderman (The Globe and Mail) on how Albertans could some day miss Jason Kenney, even if his current approval numbers spell a different story: “It’s the strange moment where Mr. Kenney is leaving but is not yet gone. Even with his time as Premier ending, Mr. Kenney continues to work. Surely it’s about establishing a legacy beyond a bungled pandemic response in the summer of 2021. But he also seems to be in a mad rush to get loose ends tied up, keep election campaign promises and make announcements that are difficult for future premiers to unwind. Mr. Kenney could jam in more activities in the days ahead, just before a new premier is sworn in, an event that could come just after the Thanksgiving long weekend.”
Robyn Urback (The Globe and Mail) on Conservatives deciding to compete in the victimhood Olympics: “The Conservatives are supposed to be a party of sobriety, one that understands the difference between a genuine incitement to violence and a figure of speech – not one that melts into a puddle when they hear the latter. So what if a Liberal MP might interpret the same tweet as a bona fide threat on his life and lap up support and sympathy from colleagues and the public? Let him. The Conservatives are, by their own telling, better than that: focusing on real issues like the cost of living and the fact that some people still can’t get passports. Instead, they’ve spent the last week-and-a-half painting exaggerated frowns on their faces and lumbering around like sad clowns.”
Mark Carney (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on the U.K. tax cuts and how, with one foot on the brakes, it’s foolish to stomp on the gas: “With trade agreements with the U.S., Mexico, the EU and much of Asia, we are well positioned to bring global production and high-paying jobs to Canada. We can build sustainable solutions to global energy security. And with the right support, Canadian workers can seize the benefits of the digital and sustainable revolutions. But to get there, we need a transformation of economic policy. That includes urgent federal-provincial collaboration to build a clean electricity grid by 2035. It means comprehensive tax reform to favour skills development and business investment. It requires bold new approaches so our colleges, institutes and universities provide mid-career training for every Canadian who wants it. It demands a financial system that supports an energy transition that seizes our full potential as an energy superpower.”
Shachi Kurl (The Ottawa Citizen) on how Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre face a similar challenge in attracting voters: “What remains the same, for now anyway, is the inability of Poilievre and his rival, Justin Trudeau, to overcome an unlikability factor outside their own support bases that leaves both incapable of impressing a broader segment of the population. Without change, the result will most certainly be continued frustration for the actors involved. Those bearing witness to an increasingly polarized political climate aren’t likely to fare much better if they are looking for leadership that unites rather than divides.”
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Ian Bailey