Quebecers headed to the polls yesterday to pick the Francophone province’s next government after a campaign overshadowed by a major political crisis in Ottawa’s federal parliament.
The crisis, among the worst in Canadian history, was triggered after the opposition parties sought to overthrow the minority Conservative government of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and replace it with a coalition.
Harper secured a victory when he obtained a shutdown of parliament and thus blocked the opposition’s bid to overtake him less than two months after his reelection. But the opposition has vowed to beat the drums of battle once again when parliament meets in late January.
Polls have shown the national crisis benefited Jean Charest, Quebec’s outgoing liberal premier.
Charest, who currently leads a minority government, called for snap elections yesterday, saying he needed a firm mandate to lead the province through a period of economic instability.
“The crisis in Ottawa gave him ammunition,” said Claude Gauthier, vice-president of the polling institute CROP. “Charest has stressed the importance of having a strong and stable government that can face up to these economic times. People buy into that.”
Polls published on Friday and Sunday indicated that Charest could regain a majority in the provincial assembly.
His Liberal Party enjoys an average 15 percent lead over the separatist Parti Quebecois (PQ), still reeling from a crushing defeat during the last elections in March last year. Polls show the Liberals at 45 percent support compared to between 29 percent and 32 percent for the PQ. The right-leaning Action Democratique du Quebec lags behind with between 12 percent and 15 percent.
For the first time in nearly 40 years, Quebec’s independence was not a campaign in a province where the survival of a distinct French identity in North America remains a major concern. PQ leader Pauline Marois said she would not seek a referendum for the province of 7.5 million to break away from the rest of the country. With the effects of the global financial crisis taking hold on Canada, the economy was front and center. Charest traveled across the province on an “economy first” slogan that captured voters’ attention and support.
If Charest, 50 and in power since 2003, were to hold on to his seat yesterday, he would become Quebec’s first premier to win three consecutive elections in over 50 years.
A small leftist coalition, Quebec Solidaire, may also elect its first deputy to the provincial parliament.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
Two people died and 19 others were injured after a Mexican Navy training ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said yesterday. The ship snapped all three of its masts as it collided with the New York City landmark late on Saturday, while onlookers enjoying the balmy spring evening watched in horror. “At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries,” Adams posted on X. Footage shared online showed the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtemoc, its sails furled
RSS