Quebec’s five major parties continued making promises on immigration, transit, taxes and home care on Saturday, as the election campaign entered its third day. The general election is scheduled for Oct. 5. Key details: Follow along for the latest updates: Quebec party leaders Quebecers’ top priorities Health care is the top concern among voters (54 per cent), followed by inflation and the cost of living (41 per cent) and housing (34 per cent). Instability and the trade war with the U.S. follow. Synopsis Recherche surveyed 1,009 Quebec adults between Aug. 24 and 26, 2026. Robin Della Corte, CTVNewsMontreal.ca Seat count in National Assembly At dissolution of the National Assembly on Thursday, the CAQ held a majority. The following is the seat count at dissolution compared to the count after the 2022 election: Robin Della Corte, CTVNewsMontreal.ca Investing in public transit: Québec Solidaire Québec Solidaire (QS) is committed to repairing and expanding the province’s public transit networks. The party promises to invest as much money in this infrastructure as it does in road transportation. If elected, a QS government will launch “the largest public transit infrastructure repair project,” QS spokesperson Ruba Ghazal said Saturday during a press briefing in Quebec City. These promises are primarily aimed at major urban centers, particularly the Greater Montreal area, where the party hopes to retain its seven seats. QS wants to renovate the Montreal metro, “which is falling into disrepair,” and make it fully accessible to users with reduced mobility and extend the Orange Line to Laval. The party also promises to carry out the “landmark project in East Montreal.” The cities of Quebec City and Gatineau will not be left out, as the party intends to continue developing their respective tramway projects there. The left-wing party estimates that these massive projects will cost $23 billion over 10 years—an investment necessary to promote the ecological transition, Ghazal argued. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 29, 2026. Conservatives release their own poll The Quebec Conservative Party (PCQ) in turn released a poll on Saturday suggesting that it is leading in the greater Quebec City and Chaudière-Appalaches region. In this first week of the election campaign, polls have been coming in one after another, and the Pallas opinion poll conducted between Tuesday and Friday in this region credits the PCQ with 31 per cent of the vote, compared to 25 per cent for Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s Parti Québécois (PQ), followed in third place by Christine Fréchette’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) at 21 per cent. Charles Milliard’s Liberals (12 per cent) bring up the rear. The survey was conducted by telephone among 600 adults residing in the region, and the poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 4 per cent, at a 95 per cent confidence level. This week, a large-scale Léger opinion poll commissioned by Quebecor showed the PQ and the PCQ neck and neck in the greater Quebec City metropolitan area, at 30 per cent each, while the CAQ trailed at 21 per cent. Another poll, this time by Synopsis and commissioned by *La Presse*, suggested that the CAQ was well ahead in the greater Quebec City area, with 36 per cent, while the PQ stood at 28 per cent and the PCQ at 22 per cent. This means nothing is decided in this region yet and that the major parties will work hard to make gains or hold onto their current seats. Since 2022, the region has been dominated by CAQ members of the National Assembly, with the exception of two seats held by QS—in Taschereau and Jean-Lesage—and one seat held by the PQ in Jean-Talon, which was won in a by-election in 2023. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 29, 2026. Lower prices at the pump: Conservatives The Quebec Conservative Party (PCQ) is committed to lowering prices at the pump for Quebec households. To achieve this, a Conservative government would abolish what it calls the “carbon tax” by withdrawing the province from the carbon market. Since 2014, Quebec has been part of the Cap-and-Trade System with California, which allows companies to buy and resell carbon credits—that is, the right to emit a given amount of CO₂. The Conservative Party considers this to be “an indirect and hidden tax on energy distributors and major GHG emitters by forcing them to purchase the right to produce, transport, or use fossil fuels.” By withdrawing Quebec’s participation in this market, Duhaime believes that a “typical Quebec household” could save approximately $1,350 over five years. The PCQ also pledges to suspend the provincial fuel tax of 19.2 cents per liter for a period of five months. These measures, says Conservative leader Éric Duhaime, should allow families to save an average of $1,573 over five years. Since the start of the campaign, the PCQ leader has been making a series of announcements aimed at putting more money in the pockets of Quebec households. According to Duhaime, his economic platform will allow a “typical Quebec household” to count on an average of $2,233 more per year—or $11,166 after five years. He is banking on the fact that Quebecers will be far more concerned about the cost of living than about the consequences of the trade war with the United States when they go to the polls on October 5. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 29, 2026. ‘Stop treating Quebecers like idiots’: Liberals Liberal leader Charles Milliard used his visit to Shawinigan to attack the economic credibility of his CAQ rival, Christine Fréchette. On this third day of the election campaign, the Liberal leader wants Quebecers to remember the “true nature of the Coalition Avenir Québec.” On Friday, Ms. Fréchette stated that she wanted to take a more measured approach to economic interventionism. It’s worth recalling that the CAQ’s tenure was marked by economic fiascos such as the Northvolt debacle. “That’s the last straw! Christine Fréchette was even more interventionist than Pierre Fitzgibbon as Minister of the Economy. And she’s been even more so—if that’s even possible—since last April. “Did you see that parade of announcements—billions of dollars pouring in, exceeding the fund that Mr. Girard had set aside?” scoffed Charles Milliard at a press briefing on Saturday. “Honestly, we have to stop treating Quebecers like idiots,” he said. The Liberal leader added that the CAQ’s “inaction” in the forestry sector will contribute to the loss of 30,000 jobs due to the tariff war with the United States. Arguing that the CAQ has contributed to increasing the administrative burden on businesses, Charles Milliard promises, if elected, to impose a moratorium on any new regulations that increase the burden on businesses. This moratorium will last one year. The Liberals will then implement the “two-for-one” rule regarding regulations. This means that for every new regulatory or administrative requirement introduced, two must be repealed. The Liberal leader assures that his proposal does not mean lowering environmental standards and requirements for businesses The Liberal leader also wants to set up a “rapid response team to assist businesses facing government red tape,” to be called “Efficacité Québec.” “A small team capable of liaising directly with several ministries so that the business has a single point of contact,” explains the party. The Liberal leader denied wanting to “create a new structure” with additional civil servants. This team will therefore be made up of existing government employees. The Quebec Liberal Party (QLP) maintains that the “CAQ government has added $2.4 billion in regulatory costs to SMEs since 2018, while its successive omnibus bills have reduced them by only about $200 million.” “Our entrepreneurs waste a month a year on paperwork. We’re going to give them that time back so they can do what they do best: build,” says the Liberal leader The PLQ estimates that the administrative burden on Quebec businesses costs them nearly $11 billion a year. How much in savings are the Liberals promising for small and medium-sized enterprises? We’ll have to wait for their fiscal plan to find out. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 29, 2026. Fréchette appeals to hesitant separatists CAQ leader Christine Fréchette is calling on separatists who are reluctant to hold a referendum in the coming years to vote for the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) rather than the Parti Québécois (PQ). “Sovereignist voters are welcome in the CAQ,” the outgoing premier assured reporters at a press conference in Drummondville on Saturday morning. “Many people who might be tempted to vote “Yes” in a referendum (on independence) are well aware that this is the worst time in the last 50 years to hold a referendum and do not want to give the Parti Québécois the opportunity to organize a referendum that, as we can see, will not be won," she said in the common room of a senior housing complex. “I invite these people to join our coalition; we’re open to them,” she continued, adding one condition. “If these voters are comfortable with the idea that one must be a nationalist—and I think that should come naturally—they are welcome to join the coalition.” The PQ has pledged to hold a referendum on sovereignty during its first term, but only after Donald Trump’s presidency ends—meaning sometime after 2028. Meanwhile, Fréchette continued her campaign on Saturday to court senior voters. She has pledged to invest an additional $1 billion over four years in home care services. This funding will also help provide people with disabilities with more home care support. The additional funding will amount to $100 million in the first year of the term, $200 million in the second, and so on, up to an additional $400 million in the final year of the term. Fréchette acknowledged that the need for in-home care is immense but did not rule out further investments beyond the $1 billion. Home care services include nursing care, personal and domestic assistance, rehabilitation and psychosocial services, as well as respite care and support for family caregivers. On Friday, she proposed building 2,000 additional affordable housing units for independent seniors, for $225 million. Fréchette’s party also wants to establish a tax credit modeled after the federal program to provide $7,500 per household to families who adapt their homes to accommodate an elderly relative. The cost of this measure is estimated at $4 million per year, benefiting approximately 500 families. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 29, 2026.
