The Parti Québécois (PQ) is ready to hit the campaign trail and they’re not waiting any longer. They made an announcement in Quebec City on Tuesday and will make another on Wednesday, even though the campaign officially begins on Thursday.
Leader Jean-François Lisée says it’s because they’re overflowing with energy, not because they need a head start in light of poor showing in the polls.
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The most recent Leger poll puts the PQ at 18 per cent of voter intentions, a solid 12 points behind the second-place Liberals. The CAQ is still the front-runner at 36 per cent.
Lisée has said he doesn’t mind being the underdog and that pre-election polls are not reliable predictions of future governments. On Tuesday, he chose to unveil the party’s campaign bus alongside deputy leader Véronique Hivon in Quebec City, where the CAQ is currently showing strong support.
However, the PQ is confident that once the campaign picks up steam, they will find ways to stand out.
WATCH: Parti Québécois Leader Jean-François Lisée speaks with anchor Laura Casella about the party’s vision on Quebec identity and religious neutrality.
“We really believe in teamwork. We really believe in being complementary,” Hivon said. “People will see, we think it’s important to propose, to suggest different ways of approaching leadership and this is what we’ll put forward during the campaign.”
In recent weeks, the party has launched two seemingly contradictory ad campaigns — one making fun of itself, and the other asking Quebecers to take it “seriously,” it’s new campaign slogan.
“We can make fun of ourselves, we can laugh together, but when we come to the priorities of Quebecers, we are serious,” Lisée explained.
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“We’re going to be serious in the proposals we make, but we’re going to have a good time all the same,” Lisée said.
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