New Quebec political party hopes of courting English voters

Canadian Party of Quebec launches campaign The Canadian Party of Quebec launched its campaign, entering an already crowded field.

The Canadian Party of Quebec launched its electoral campaign Tuesday with a message that it is the party to protect English in Quebec.

The launch comes three days after the official launch of the Quebec election and without a full platform.

“The Canadian Party of Quebec is officially and eagerly off to the races,” said party leader Colin Standish.

Standish was critical of the Quebec Liberal Party for supporting amendments to the CAQ’s language law, Bill 96.

“A vote for Liberal Party of Quebec is a vote for Bill 96 in this election,” he said.

Standish pledged to abolish Bill 96 and also the secularism law Bill 21.

Quebec’s Liberal party is also promising it would repeal Bill 96 and said it would not renew the notwithstanding clause attached to Bill 21.

Beyond language, there was little else on the agenda for the CPQ. Standish said the party would release a full platform towards the end of the campaign.

“We see ourselves as a principled party. We are not making promises thrown under bus as soon as elected to office. Our bedrock principles like morals we are taught as child are bedrock, bilingualism, human rights, freedoms, Canadian constitution,” he said.

The Canadian Party of Quebec isn't the only upstart political movement formed in the wake of Bill 96.

On Monday, former Montreal mayoral candidate Balarama Holness launched his new provincial party's campaign. The Bloc Montreal also pledging to abolish Bill 96 and focus on greater autonomy for Montreal.

But with such a crowded field of candidates vying for anglophone votes, some political analysts suggest it will be a steep uphill battle.

“Bloc Montreal concentrating on island of Montreal, Canadian Party has some in Gatineau or areas outside Montreal.

“There are some cases where there is a candidate from Bloc Montreal and a candidate from the Canadian Party of Quebec competing for votes in same riding – d’Arcy McGee, Mont-Royal-Outremont, that is not recipe for success because they will cannibalize each others’ votes,” said Daniel Beland, political analyst for the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada.

Neither the Canadian Party nor Bloc Montreal have made substantial gains in the polls since they formed, but with the campaign just getting underway, they still have five weeks to make their pitch to voters.

The election is on Oct. 3.