The Quebec election campaign officially kicked off Thursday as the province’s political parties are challenged with wooing undecided voters over the next 39 days.
Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard met with his cabinet for a brief meeting at 9 a.m. before walking to the office of Lt.-Gov. J. Michel Doyon.
Doyon then signed two decrees formalizing the dissolution of the legislature and the start of the election campaign.
The ruling Liberals are fighting to secure a second mandate amid a strong economy, a promising auditor general’s report and a slate of fresh candidates — but also as they continue to place second in recent polls.
READ MORE: Quebec political parties lack diversity ahead of fall election campaign
Incumbent Premier Philippe Couillard maintains his party is united and strong, but he has also recently admitted it is a tight race against the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ).
“A campaign is always a challenge,” he told reporters in Quebec City on Thursday morning. “I’ve never had anything free in my life, be it today, yesterday or the day before yesterday.”
Despite the long road ahead, Couillard remains optimistic.
“I feel very proud of what we’ve done over the past four years. I’m very optimistic for Quebec and I’m very optimistic for my campaign too,” he said.
WATCH: Quebec’s finances in good shape: auditor general
He touted the Liberal’s economic record and said the CAQ’s team isn’t up to par.
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“Before the election they said they wanted to balance the budget as well, but each time we did something to do that, they criticized us, and now they are gorging themselves on the margins that we created,” Couillard said.
“So I don’t believe at all that this party has more than an average competence of economy and public finances.”
Couillard also questioned CAQ leader François Legault’s commitment to Canada.
“He never says he loves the country. He’s okay with Canada and that’s not enough for me. It’s not enough to say that we tolerate Canada, but that we actually love this country and want to make it better,” he said, adding that while it may not be a major campaign theme, it’s not issue that will completely disappear either.
‘Now is the time to choose a CAQ government’
The CAQ, which holds 21 seats in the National Assembly, has never been elected to power. But under the leadership of Legault the party remains the front-runner in the polls since January to form the next provincial government.
As he set off on the campaign trail, Legault addressed the crowd in both French and English — and used the fact that the CAQ had never been in power to his advantage.
“After 50 years of fruitless, constitutional debate, after 15 years of going around in circles, now is the time to choose a new team, and new ideas, to form a true new government,” he said.
“Now is the time to choose a CAQ government.”
READ MORE: High-profile police officer moves to politics as CAQ candidate
Legault also took a moment to reassure anglophones worried about a possible referendum.
“I want to be very clear in French and English, never a CAQ government will hold a referendum about the sovereignty of Quebec.”
WATCH: Quebec’s provincial election campaign kicks off
He also said it was time to bridge the French-English divide.
“We had 50 years of battle between sovereigntists and federalists and we have to stop that and work together,” he said, adding the priority was coming together to do better “in education, health care and the economy.”
‘Quebecers are ready for something new’
The Parti Québécois (PQ) — once a powerhouse of the Quebec sovereignty movement — is struggling in third place in the polls as the campaign kicked off.
Leader Jean-François Lisée is relishing being the underdog, saying the PQ has thrived in that position in the past.
READ MORE: Parti Québécois unveils campaign bus, asks voters to take them ‘seriously’
After hitting the road early Thursday morning, Lisée reiterated the sentiment at a press conference in Mont-Saint-Hilaire in the Montérégie.
“The ability of the party to rebound is legendary,” he told reporters and party faithfuls.
Lisée quickly took aim at the Liberals, accusing them of leaving the health system in tatters and not doing enough for various segments of the population including the young and the elderly.
While Quebec independence remains a goal of the party, Lisée said it wasn’t the top priority.
“In this election, what is at stake is the quality of services that will be rendered for our children, to our elderly, to our patients, and that’s what we’re going to fix first and foremost,” he said.
Québec Solidaire, a left-leaning party dedicated to Quebec independence and social programs, is looking to boost its presence in the province and at the National Assembly this election season.
With former student leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and Manon Massé at the helm, the party is proposing free public transportation and universal basic income.
“After 40 years of alternating between the old parties, Quebecers are ready for something new, and new is here,” said Massé.
Quebecers will head to the polls on Oct. 1.
— with files from Global’s Raquel Fletcher and the Canadian Press
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