The Quebec election campaign will officially begin today before the vote on October 3

QUEBEC CITY — Quebec’s provincial election campaign is set to officially begin today, giving party leaders about five weeks to convince voters before the Oct. 3 vote.

Outgoing Premier Francois Legault announced last week that the race would finally start « for real » after weeks of unofficial campaigning by political parties and billions of dollars already pledged to voters.

Polls suggest that Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec party holds a sizable lead heading into the campaign, and the party is expected to achieve a second majority.

A Leger poll released earlier this month found support for Legault’s party at 44%, compared to 18% for the second-placed Quebec Liberals. Québec solidaire and the Conservative Party of Québec respectively obtained 15% and 13% of the vote.

As the first official day of campaigning begins today, all major party leaders have already nominated candidates and made campaign pledges in recent weeks.

When the summer legislature adjourned, Legault’s party had 76 seats, while the Quebec Liberals had 27, Quebec solidaire had 10, and the Parti Quebecois had seven. The Conservative Party of Quebec held one seat and there were four independents.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on August 28, 2022

The Canadian Press

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