Quebec voters will decide on their government on October 3rd, 2022, in the coming provincial election.
Conservative Party leader Éric Duhaime unveiled the party’s platform earlier this week. The much-anticipated platform includes tax cuts, energy independence and freedom-oriented policies.
“The October 3 election is historic. It will turn the page on more than sixty years of constitutional bickering and allow for the emergence of a new political landscape. The political chessboard is possibly about to be redefined. The tectonic plates of Quebec politics are being repositioned. We now have a major party that wishes first and foremost to give you more freedom. Our electoral platform presents our major commitments for this electoral battle”, Duhaime wrote in the preamble to the platform.
The platform titled ‘Liberté 22” (Freedom 22) includes five major promises.
“Substantially reduce taxes by about $2,000 for a worker earning $80,000 a year and suspend gasoline taxes to help Quebec families cope with the rising cost of fuel”, the platform reads.
Despite increasing gas prices and the province of Quebec being home to some of the highest taxes on fuel in North America, the Legault government has refused to temporarily suspend taxes on gasoline.
“Decentralize the health care system, introduce competition between different institutions and add private sector contributions to finally improve the efficiency of health care services.”
“Promote public transit by offering free bus service rather than investing in an expensive and useless tramway in Quebec City”, the platform also reads.
“Allow the exploration of our hydrocarbons in order to make Quebec self-sufficient in energy and help our European allies to consume more energy”, and “[help] all families with childcare by offering a $200 per week per child allowance for parents who do not have access to daycare or who want a different service.”
Mainstream media criticized the platform for allegedly not having enough propositions regarding “immigration” and “culture”, while Duhaime reiterated that the political program voted at the party’s last convention contains many policy propositions in those regards.
The Conservative Party of Quebec went from polling less than 2% prior to 2020 to polling now up to 20% in the province of Quebec and up to 35% in the Quebec-city area.
The party received a boost from its newly elected leader, Eric Duhaime, a former radio-show host and journalist.
The Party also built support against the Legault government’s authoritarian handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
