As Quebec election looms, party leaders face off in 2nd debate
CBC
The Quebec election campaign's second and final debate Thursday saw the four candidates seeking to become the province's next premier attacking François Legault for not doing enough for the climate, health care and the French language.
With voting day less than two weeks away and Legault holding a commanding lead in the polls, tonight's event was one of the last chances for the parties to get their messages out to voters.
Legault, leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec, the Quebec Liberal Party's Dominique Anglade, Québec Solidaire's Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and Éric Duhaime from the Conservative Party of Quebec also argued over inflation, taxes, education and questions of identity like immigration and sovereignty.
Legault's party has been criticized for not doing enough to tackle climate change during its first mandate but during the debate, he touted his team's ability to build a green economy.
"The fight against climate change is not in you," shot Anglade.
Nadeau-Dubois, who had several direct exchanges with Legault, accused the outgoing premier of spreading fear about Québec Solidaire's plan for the environment, instead of proposing his viable plan.
"You can put away the Halloween decorations. We have to stop scaring people. You should be inspiring Quebecers, proposing solutions," said the Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson.
"You're discouraging people, Mr. Legault."
Legault in turn accused Nadeau-Dubois of proposing an unrealistic environmental plan that would hamper the province's economy. Throughout the campaign, Legault has described Québec Solidaire's proposal to impose a 15 per cent tax on heavily polluting cars as an "orange tax," in reference to the party's colours.
"It's a bit like magic," Legault said. "It's a bit like we're in Wonderland."
Quebec aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 37.5 per cent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, but the province missed its 20 per cent reduction target set for 2020 and instead reached just six per cent.
If elected, Québec Solidaire is aiming for a 55 per cent reduction compared to 1990 levels within eight years. The Liberal Party of Quebec is proposing a 45 per cent reduction target over that same period. Duhaime's Conservatives have opted to not set an emissions target, saying they prefer to prioritize "realistic" goals since previous governments have have all missed their targets.
St-Pierre Plamondon, the leader of the PQ, said keeping the annual number of new immigrants in Quebec at 50,000 — instead of reducing it to 35,000 as his party proposes — will make the French language more vulnerable.
"Your planning is leading to the sharpest decline of French in the history of Quebec," St-Pierre Plamondon said, staring directly at the outgoing premier.