The leaders of Quebec’s major political parties are in Quebec City on Friday to attend the Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ) election summit. Key details: Follow along for the latest updates: $20 Bills at Bingo: CAQ candidate facing criticism CAQ Rousseau candidate Louis-Charles Thouin, who handed out $20 and $10 bills during a bingo event, drew criticism from his opponents on Friday. QS spokesperson Ruba Ghazal compared the practice to vote-buying. The “Journal de Québec” revealed on Thursday that on Sept. 8, Thouin gave cash as gifts to the winners of a bingo game organized for seniors. He had placed $20 or $10 bills inside caps and sweatshirts. The elected official even acknowledged the incident and apologized. PCQ unveils regional autonomy plan Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime presented his plan for regional autonomy on Friday, developed with former Lévis mayor Gilles Lehouillier, who has explicitly given his support to the party. “The Conservative Party will provide the National Assembly with a voice in favour of the Third Link – a voice we won’t have with the CAQ, we won’t have with the Parti Québécois and we won’t have with the Liberals,” said Lehouillier. “I cannot be any clearer than that: they are the only ones who can provide that voice.” The Conservative platform on regional autonomy proposes to give more power to the regions by establishing 17 regional decision-making bodies. This would include regionalizing immigration, allocating a share of natural resource royalties from forests, wind farms, mines and natural gas to the regions and municipalities and enshrining regional autonomy in a Quebec constitution. - The Canadian Press. Agence numérique Québec, proposes PLQ The Quebec Liberal Party says it wants to create a new government agency to roll out technological solutions across departments and public bodies. READ MORE: Friday, Liberal Leader Charles Milliard outlined his commitments regarding digital transformations, a subject that has sparked considerable controversy in recent years, largely due to the SAAQclic fiasco. The Liberals say they want to create the Agence numérique Québec, which they describe as an elite team specializing in digital innovation. - The Canadian Press. Québec solidaire wants to hold major polluters accountable Québec solidaire presented its environmental plan on Friday, saying it wants to hold major polluters accountable, while focusing on massive investments in public transport. In the fight against greenhouse gases, the party says it wants to return to the province’s original plan to reduce emissions by at least 37.5 per cent by 2030. READ MORE: To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the left-wing party says it wants to regulate emissions from large companies, end worst practices and make public aid conditional on responsible behaviour. “All it takes is boldness and courage,” said Spokesperson Ruba Ghazal. Québec solidaire also said it wants to “make all mining developments conditional on compliance with a new social contract for mining,” which would include regulations like prohibiting the destruction of lakes for the backfilling of mining waste and “all mining development will be subject to the polluter-pays principle.” - The Canadian Press. Few signs election is underway in Far North North of the 55th parallel, there are few indications that a five-party race is underway to elect Quebec’s next government. In several Nunavik villages, not a single campaign sign was on display just over three weeks before the election. In the last Quebec general election, in 2022, voter turnout in the Ungava riding was 30.21 per cent — far below the provincial average of 66.15 per cent. - The Canadian Press. Day 23 Here is where the party leaders are planning to start their day, in order of first appearance: Éric Duhaime (Quebec Conservative Party) Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime is slated to begin his day with a press conference on his regional platform alongside Gilles Lehouillier in Berthier-sur-Mer at 7:45 a.m. He will then visit Valero at 9 a.m. in Saint-Romuald. At 11:30 a.m., he will take part in the Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ) election summit at the Quebec City Convention Centre before holding a press briefing at 4 p.m. in Sainte-Justine. At 5:30 p.m., he will visit the Le Belvédère du Lac retirement home in Lac-Etchemin. Ruba Ghazal (Québec Solidaire) QS Spokesperson Ruba Ghazal is set to hold a press briefing on environmental policy at 9:30 a.m. at the Quai des Cageux in Quebec City before taking part in the Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ) election summit at the Quebec City Convention Centre at 11:30 a.m. In the evening, she will meet with local government representatives from the Lanaudière region at 5:15 p.m. in Berthierville and attend a mid-campaign event at the Ausgang Plaza at 8:30 p.m. in Montreal. QS co-spokesperson Sol Zanetti is expected to take part in a demonstration calling for the transformation of the Dufferin motorway at 11 a.m. at the junction of François-De Laval and Sainte-Anne boulevards in Quebec City. Charles Milliard (Quebec Liberal Party) Liberal Leader Charles Milliard will start his day with an announcement on “putting an end to digital fiascos” at 10 a.m. at Parc de l’Amérique-Latine in Quebec City. He will then attend the Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ) election summit at the Quebec City Convention Centre at 11:30 a.m., followed by a press scrum at 2:40 p.m. He will round off his day with a visit and a cocktail reception at the Verger de Tilly in Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly at 5 p.m. Christine Fréchette (Coalition Avenir Québec) CAQ Leader Christine Fréchette is set to take part in the Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ) election summit at the Quebec City Convention Centre at 11:30 a.m. She will then meet the mayor of Quebec City at 3:30 p.m. and hold a press scrum at 4:10 p.m. at City Hall. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon (Parti Québécois) PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is taking part in the Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ) election summit at the Quebec City Convention Centre at 11:30 a.m. before holding a press conference at 2:45 p.m. The leaders
