Latest news with #QuebecElection
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why a 'love story' with Mark Carney is François Legault's only hope
OTTAWA — Quebec Premier François Legault was on fire last weekend. The man who is clearly and unequivocally the most unpopular premier in Canada, according to the latest Angus Reid poll, stood before the future of his party, the members of the youth wing of the Coalition Avenir Québec, smiling and ready to fight. 'I want to fight more than ever! For a third term, to finish the job!' he roared. 'I need you to continue building Quebec for future generations,' he added. But the polls suggest that the fight seems lost for Legault, known for years as the country's most beloved premier. And for the man who has made a punching bag of the federal Liberal government, it's a cruel twist of fate that Prime Minister Mark Carney may be the only person who can save the Quebec premier. With nearly a year to go until the election, the man who won one of the largest majorities in Quebec's history, with 90 out of 125 seats, is facing a massacre. According to the latest Angus Reid report, only a quarter of Quebecers approve of his performance. In March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, his approval rating was 77 per cent. 'Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the CAQ wins zero seat in next year's election,' said a CAQ insider that was granted anonymity to speak more freely out of fear of repercussions. The man behind the poll aggregator Philippe J. Fournier, is almost convinced that if there were an election today, the CAQ would not have party status. 'Currently, Mr. Legault is in a situation that is similar or even perhaps a little worse than (then prime minister) Justin Trudeau in December,' he told National Post. His government has faced numerous controversies over the past two and a half years. Right now, he is being hit on all fronts for his government mismanagement in the health, energy, transport and finances files. The public, it seems, has simply had enough of this government and no longer trusts it. Legault sees things differently and presents himself as the nationalist and economic candidate. But the road ahead isn't smooth. On the one hand, the separatist Parti Québécois has comfortably taken the lead and is garnering all the attention with a leader who remains perfectly clear about his intentions during the first mandate of a PQ government. Yes, this is a referendum on Quebec independence. With a popular leader leading the way among francophones, with a similar margin to that of federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre a year ago, the PQ has now brought the separatists back home after a decade of desertion. On the other hand, Legault will have to deal with a new leader of the Quebec Liberal Party starting Saturday, when the party chooses its candidate to become Quebec's next premier. The QLP has been in dormancy since the 2022 election debacle and is dreaming of a massive comeback with a new leader. 'If the next election is about a possible PQ referendum, it becomes clear that we are the alternative. Nobody believes that Legault is a federalist,' said a Liberal source. In April, interim leader Marc Tanguay dropped a bombshell by publicly declaring that he had information that preparations for a CAQ leadership convention were underway. Last week, he claimed his information was still accurate. But Legault insisted he would seek a third term. After all, he doesn't have what Trudeau had a few months ago: Carney as a successor. And Carney may be the only person who can save Legault. For weeks now, the premier has been unusually nice to the federal Liberals, a party that he wanted defeated last fall when he asked the Parti Québécois leader to tell his 'comrade' at the Bloc Québécois to overthrow the Trudeau government. Now, Legault tells his own members that Quebec 'must work hand in hand with the federal government.' According to him, there is 'an exceptional opportunity' with Carney in Ottawa because he is a prime minister 'laser focused' on the economy. But also, because Carney's entourage is prominently from Quebec. François-Philippe Champagne is finance minister, Mélanie Joly is the minister of industry, Marc-André Blanchard will be Carney's chief of staff and now Michael Sabia, who was Legault's pick as CEO of Hydro-Québec, is the next clerk of the Privy Council. 'It's as if the stars were aligned… So, now is the time to take advantage of it,' Legault said in his speech. The PQ is now calling the Carney-Legault relationship a 'love story.' 'If he can seek economic opportunities at the federal level and then take credit for them, of course he will do so, so that is called a political opportunity,' said Emilie Foster, a former CAQ MNA and professor at Carleton University. During her term as a backbencher for Charlevoix–Côte-de-Beaupré in the National Assembly from 2018 to 2022, Foster said she never heard her premier utter the words 'military' and 'defence.' This week, as Carney announced massive military spending to meet NATO's two per cent target, Legault quickly announced millions of dollars to support Quebec's defence industry and visited three companies. In Ottawa, this sudden affection from Quebec City is more than welcome. Many Quebec Liberal MPs were all smiles this week. None of them were the most popular politician in Quebec. No, the most popular 'by far' noted Fournier, is Mark Carney. Now, Legault wants a piece of it and wants to show the electorate his record of economic success next year. So far, he's boasted of outperforming Ontario and Canada in per capita economic growth, wage growth and disposable income growth. Legault wants major projects. Like the Newfoundland-Quebec power line, with the help of Carney, who has introduced a bill to fast track major projects. It's his only chance of survival, according to Foster. Over the past few decades, he's pledged to be an 'economic man,' just like Carney. Yet the province has recorded the largest deficits in its history. But Legault is making the case that the PQ won't try to achieve success with the federal government because it wants to demonstrate that Canada isn't working. 'So this is not the time to have the PQ in power, this must be very clear, and it must be explained to Quebecers,' Legault said. He simply hopes that Quebecers will give the PQ the same treatment that Canadians gave the Conservatives. National Post atrepanier@ In Quebec, opposition mounts against a pipeline project that doesn't exist Quebec says it 'is open to interprovincial trade' after tabling new bill Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers Sign up here. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
National Post
14-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Why a 'love story' with Mark Carney is François Legault's only hope
OTTAWA — Quebec Premier François Legault was on fire last weekend. Article content The man who is clearly and unequivocally the most unpopular premier in Canada, according to the latest Angus Reid poll, stood before the future of his party, the members of the youth wing of the Coalition Avenir Québec, smiling and ready to fight. Article content 'I want to fight more than ever! For a third term, to finish the job!' he roared. 'I need you to continue building Quebec for future generations,' he added. Article content But the polls suggest that the fight seems lost for Legault, known for years as the country's most beloved premier. And for the man who has made a punching bag of the federal Liberal government, it's a cruel twist of fate that Prime Minister Mark Carney may be the only person who can save the Quebec premier. Article content Article content With nearly a year to go until the election, the man who won one of the largest majorities in Quebec's history, with 90 out of 125 seats, is facing a massacre. According to the latest Angus Reid report, only a quarter of Quebecers approve of his performance. In March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, his approval rating was 77 per cent. Article content 'Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the CAQ wins zero seat in next year's election,' said a CAQ insider that was granted anonymity to speak more freely out of fear of repercussions. Article content The man behind the poll aggregator Philippe J. Fournier, is almost convinced that if there were an election today, the CAQ would not have party status. Article content Article content 'Currently, Mr. Legault is in a situation that is similar or even perhaps a little worse than (then prime minister) Justin Trudeau in December,' he told National Post. Article content Article content His government has faced numerous controversies over the past two and a half years. Right now, he is being hit on all fronts for his government mismanagement in the health, energy, transport and finances files. Article content The public, it seems, has simply had enough of this government and no longer trusts it. Article content Legault sees things differently and presents himself as the nationalist and economic candidate. But the road ahead isn't smooth. Article content On the one hand, the separatist Parti Québécois has comfortably taken the lead and is garnering all the attention with a leader who remains perfectly clear about his intentions during the first mandate of a PQ government. Yes, this is a referendum on Quebec independence. Article content With a popular leader leading the way among francophones, with a similar margin to that of federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre a year ago, the PQ has now brought the separatists back home after a decade of desertion.
National Post
12-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
The Liberals were stunned by the gains they made in Quebec's hostile ridings
OTTAWA — When Elections Canada certified the Liberals' victory by a single vote in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne, senior party officials were stunned. Article content Article content 'This wasn't in our forecast. We didn't think she would win,' admitted a Liberal source about the party's candidate, Tatiana Auguste, the 24-year-old who thought she had lost the constituency. Article content Auguste was initially declared the winner on election night, but she later lost the riding to Bloc Québécois incumbent Nathalie Sinclair Desgagné, who attended her party's first caucus meeting last week, before winning it again by a single vote after a judicial recount. Article content Article content 'I've been on an emotional roller coaster, but I'm really happy,' Auguste said in multiple media interviews. But for Quebec Liberal organizers, her victory showed how much the big red Liberal machine has outperformed in the province. Article content Article content In the end, the Liberals won 44 of the 78 ridings, double the Bloc's 22 seats in the House of Commons. Before the recount in Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore and Terra Nova—Les Péninsules and Milton East—Halton Hills South, Terrebonne, and numerous surprise victories in Quebec, brought the Liberals to 170 seats, two short of a majority. Article content Terrebonne hadn't voted Liberal in 45 years. The same goes for Trois-Rivières. The last time the Liberals won Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou was in 2000, and they had never won Beauport—Limoilou in Quebec City since its creation in 2004. Article content They won all four of them. Article content 'It's surprising. Absolutely… I've always been skeptical because these are often ridings that have promised the Liberals but often failed to deliver,' said Jeremy Ghio, a former advisor to minister Mélanie Joly and a strategist at Tact Conseil. Article content Article content 'These have always been regions in which the Liberals had high expectations and ultimately suffered disappointment at the end of the campaign,' he added. Article content Article content Ghio and many Quebec Liberal sources believe Prime Minister Mark Carney will have to give significant roles to the province's representatives and bring fresh Quebec faces at the cabinet table. Article content For instance, people suggested to the prime minister's entourage that Mandy Gull-Masty, who was recently the Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees/Cree Nation Government before winning Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, should be named in cabinet. Article content Ghio believes it is time for the prime minister to appoint longtime Quebec MP Joël Lightbound to Cabinet after his resounding majority in Louis-Hébert. Article content 'You need a minister in Quebec City. And it's time for Lightbound to join the cabinet. He worked his riding. He broke rank during the Trudeau years. He is not associated with Trudeau,' said Ghio. Article content During the campaign, the Liberal team deployed key ministers like Mélanie Joly, François-Philippe Champagne, and Steven Guilbeault in more than ten ridings where the party thought it had a chance of success.
National Post
12-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
She won her Quebec riding by a single vote in recount. Who is the Liberals' 170th MP?
A recount of votes in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne has flipped that seat from the Bloc Québécois to the Liberals, and brought the governing Liberty party to 170 MPs in the House of Commons, just two shy of a majority. Here's what to know about Tatiana Auguste, Canada's newest MP. Article content How close was the vote? Article content As close as they come. Auguste was initially reported to have won the riding by 35 votes after the April 28 election, but three days later the post-election validation process showed that incumbent Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné of the Bloc Québécois was ahead by 44 votes. Article content Article content That narrow victory then triggered a judicial recount, which began Thursday and was completed Saturday. It gave Auguste 23,352 votes against Sinclair-Desgagne's 23,351, a difference of just one ballot. Article content Article content Auguste's candidacy website says she was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and has lived in Canada since 2008. She grew up in Montreal, where she attended elementary and secondary school and graduated with an International Baccalaureate. She went on to study economics at Concordia University focusing on investment strategies in underrepresented communities. Article content The site notes that she has served as vice-president on the board of directors of Télévision Communautaire de Frontenac and is currently a volunteer there. TCF is a community TV station in Montreal offering French programming that includes public affairs, cultural, social and leisure shows, documentaries and youth programs. Article content Tatiana is also vice-president of the Conseil jeunesse de Montréal-Nord, a citizen participation group focused on people aged 12 to 30. She also served as a political attaché to Emmanuel Dubourg, Liberal MP from the Quebec riding of Bourassa from 2013 to 2025. He did not seek re-election this year. Article content Article content Article content None; this is Auguste's first time running and her first victory in an election. She is also one of four incoming Liberal MPs — the others are Jake Sawatzky in B.C., and Amandeep Sodhi and Fares Al Soud in Ontario — who were born in the early 2000s. Article content On the narrowness of the result, she said: 'It certainly shows a bit of division. But I work for everyone, whether they voted for me or not. I'm ready to do the work to rally them to Terrebonne's cause.' Article content She also congratulated her rival, Sinclair-Desgagné, on a close race, and said she understands her defeat. 'Having experienced it a week ago, I found it heartbreaking for her.' Article content
CBC
12-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Another seat flips
The Liberals have won one more seat after a recount in a Quebec riding. Coming up, with three more recounts expected, how much can things change for the Liberal Party, and will it all impact the dynamic when the House resumes?
