Election Day is arriving soon and, for some of us, it will be the first election we participate in, so here are some tricks and tips on how to vote.
You may not know who to vote for yet, and this is very understandable. To help you in your decision, CBC News has created a tool called the Vote Compass. It is a series of questions aimed to help you decide which political party is more closely aligned with your values.
A good place to get all your information is Election Quebec.We encourage you to go through this website to get the information you need, but here are some key links.
It is important before going to vote that you are registered to do so. If you are not certain whether you are registered or not, you can click here to check it out. All you have to do is enter your information to find out. If you are not registered, you can click here to register. You have until the day of the election to do so.
Here is the information about the opening hours and locations of the polling stations.You can already vote by anticipation if you wish to vote before October 3rd. Remember that if you want to vote, you will need a picture ID. Here is a list of what kind of IDs are accepted.
Also, when voting do not draw outside of the circle! Or your vote might not be taken into consideration.
Finally, jobs are still open to work on election day. You can apply here! (Sadly, the page is only available in french)
The voting system up until the 1970s was based on the question of sovereignty. The two main parties, the Liberal Party and the Parti Québécois, were confronting each other about whether Quebec should become independent or not. Since then, the intention of votes has evolved and is now more concerned about the ideologies of each party; left-wing, center, or right-wing.
Currently, there are up to twenty parties existing, but the only ones that are covered by the media are the ones that have a chance of getting elected, or of getting at least one seat.
What’s important to remember about political parties is that they are not static. They evolve, they change every day. For example, under Jean Charest, the Liberal Party, who is typically center, had right-wing ideas. But, here are the five main parties and information that might be useful for voting.
Main parties
Liberal Party of Quebec:
Year of creation: 1867
Ideology: Center
Current leader: Dominique Anglade
The Liberal Party is the one that is mainly affiliated with the federal government. The question of independence is not on their agenda and their main concern is to redistribute the economy.
To learn more about the Liberal Party, here is a link to their program: liberal_playbook-en-v2.pdf (secureservercdn.net)
Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ):
Year of creation: 2012
Ideology: Center-right
Current leader: François Legault
The CAQ party forms the current government. This party manages the economy with a right-wing ideology but finances some left-wing programs. They do have some right-wing policies, for example an openness towards the financing of the private health sector. A fun fact about the CAQ party is that it’s a mix between the Liberal and the Parti Québécois. When they first formed, they promised not to talk about sovereignty for a ten year period.
To learn more about the CAQ, here is the link to their constitution: constitution_coalitionavenirquebec_fevrier2018.pdf
Québec Solidaire:
Year of creation: 2006
Ideology: Left
Current leader: There is no official current leader but the two spokespersons are Manon Massé and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. If it were to be elected, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois would be the Prime Minister.
Québec Solidaire is the most left party. It promotes a social redistribution of wealth and a more equal approach. The question of sovereignty is not their main concern but could eventually appear.
To learn more about the Quebec Solidaire Party, here is the link to their program: E22-Plateforme-Web-1p.pdf (ctfassets.net)
Parti Québécois:
Year of creation: 1968
Ideology: Left
Current leader: Paul St-Pierre-Plamondon
The Parti Québécois is the party that supports the idea of separation between Québec and Canada. It was created for this reason back when the movement of nationalism was going on strong. Nowadays, it still promotes the idea of sovereignty but is also concentrated on left politics and programs.
To learn more about the Parti Québecois, here is the link to their program: cahier-projet-nationalv2.pdf (pq.org)
Conservative Party of Quebec:
Year of creation: 2009
Ideology: Right
Current leader: Éric Duhaime
The Conservative Party mainly promotes individual freedom, reducing the implication in State affairs, and more control over the economy. Some people who vote for this party do so because of discontentment; they might feel that they are voiceless and none of the other parties are interesting for them.
To learn more about the Conservative Party of Quebec, here is the link to their platform: Platform – Parti conservateur du Québec, team Éric Duhaime (conservative.quebec)
By Sarah-Maude Gagnon and Alicia Harvey
