Quebec’s political parties are hitting the trail for Day 7 of the campaign ahead of the Oct. 5 election. Key details: Here’s the latest: Québec Solidaire promises to help young people buy homes Québec Solidaire spokesperson Ruba Ghazal is announcing help for young people to become homeowners. Alongside the party’s candidate for Saint-Jérôme, Orphée Dubé-Gervais, Ghazal said a QS government will establish a down-payment loan program for first-time homebuyers covering up to 15 per cent of the value of a new home, or 5 per cent of an existing home. Loans can total up to $50,000. The program would benefit 25,000 people per year, QS said in a news release. They said more details were available in the party’s housing plan. “With rising rents, young people are no longer able to save money for a down payment! It worries me greatly to see the gap widening between generations. I want young people to be able to choose to own a home if that’s what they want. As Premier of Quebec, I want to give young people the boost they need for one of the most important stages of their lives,” said Ghazal. - Amy Luft, CTVNewsMontreal.ca Conservatives want to make Canadian free trade ‘a reality’ Describing Quebec as a “champion of exceptions,” Conservative leader Éric Duhaime wants to follow Ontario’s lead in eliminating barriers to interprovincial trade. The Quebec Conservative Party (PCQ) wants to make Canadian free trade “a reality”—something the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) has failed to achieve amid the trade war, according to the party. “Right now, Quebec is the champion of exceptions,” said Duhaime on Wednesday morning during a conference in Quebec City. In particular, the PCQ aims to address non-harmonized trucking regulations, the recognition of licenses and exams, and the sale of alcohol. Removing barriers between provinces would allow businesses to generate an additional $15 billion per year, according to the party. “Interprovincial barriers are hidden tariffs that come at a high cost in terms of delays, lost investments, and lost contracts. Reducing them could boost Quebec’s economy by 2% by the end of a term,” said Adrien Pouliot, the Conservative spokesperson on the economy and public finances, in a press release. - The Canadian Press Conservative candidate apologizes for vaccine remarks from 2020 Another Quebec Conservative Party candidate is in hot water over remarks he made a few years ago. Radio-Canada is reporting that in 2020, the Conservative candidate in Brome-Missisquoi, David Alarie, called for the euthanasia of Quebecers who supported vaccines and advocated for the harassment of CAQ elected officials. Alarie has now apologized for his remarks, and Conservative Party leader Éric Duhaime claims that his party is the target of a smear campaign. “The CAQ has once again dug up stories from six years ago regarding our case from 20 years ago involving the Parti Québécois, and now the media—or rather, some of them—are acting as mouthpieces for the CAQ’s smear campaign to divert attention from Fréchette’s record. I think the candidate has already explained himself; you know it’s been six years,” said Duhaime. - The Canadian Press Here’s what the party leaders have planned for today: Christine Fréchette (CAQ) CAQ Leader Christine Fréchette started the day with a press conference at the Grand Hôtel Times in Vanier-Les-Rivières at 9 a.m. She will then hit the road again and head to St-Augustin-de-Desmaures for a visit to the Le St-Augustin senior living facility at 10:20 a.m. At 12:15 p.m., she will attend a campaign lunch at the Ti-Oui Snack Bar in Saint-Raymond before heading to Trois-Rivières, where she will mingle with the crowd and greet volunteers at Halte Douceur around 3:15 p.m. Charles Milliard (PLQ) Liberal Leader Charles Milliard will also be in the Mauricie region. He will make an infrastructure announcement at 10:00 a.m. at Parc Tricentenaire, across from Paneton School in Louiseville. From 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., he will meet with candidates during a lunch at Le Grec restaurant in Trois-Rivières. He will then head back to Louiseville, where he will visit the Canadel company at 2:00 p.m. He is also scheduled to visit Groupe Pro-B in Trois-Rivières at 3:45 p.m. He will end the day with a campaign rally, set to begin at 6 p.m., at the Le Trou du Diable microbrewery in Shawinigan. Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon (PQ) PQ Leader Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon will be in Saint-Jérôme, specifically at Place du Curé-Labelle, where he held a press briefing on education at 9:30 a.m. Later, around 12:30 p.m., he is scheduled to attend a lunch and campaign rally at 131 Albiny Paquette Blvd. in Mont-Laurier. He will hold a press scrum at the Lièvre microbrewery at 2:30 p.m. He will end the day with a campaign rally at the Le Prospecteur microbrewery, starting at 6:00 p.m., in Val-D’Or. Ruba Ghazal and Sol Zanetti (QS) Quebec Solidaire spokesperson Ruba Ghazal will spend the day in the Greater Montreal area. She is first holding a press briefing in Saint-Jérôme at 9:45 a.m. to present a measure promoting homeownership. She will end the day in Montreal with the launch of the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve campaign office at 5:30 p.m. QS spokesperson Sol Zanetti will be in the Quebec City area, where he will participate in a food distribution at the Jean-Guy Drolet Community Center around 12:45 p.m. He is then scheduled to meet with representatives from the food security organization Entraide Agapè at 2:45 p.m. Éric Duhaime (PCQ) Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime started the day with a press conference at 8 a.m. at Café du Monde to present his strategy for interprovincial trade. He will then head to Saint-Nicolas, where he will hold a press briefing at 150 Plante Street at 2 p.m. Starting at 5:30 p.m., he will spend the evening with Bellechasse’s elected officials at La Contrebande microbrewery in Saint-Anselme. - Reporting by Noovo Info
