Quebec general election, 2007

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Map of Quebec's ridings coloured in to indicate ridings won by each party and their popular vote. PLQ (red): 48 seats; ADQ (dark blue): 41 seats; PQ (light blue): 36 seats.

The Quebec general election of 2007 was held in the Canadian province of Quebec on March 26, 2007 to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec. The Quebec Liberal Party led by Jean Charest managed to win a plurality of seats, but were reduced to a minority government, Quebec's first in 129 years, since the 1878 general election. The Action démocratique du Québec, in a major breakthrough, became the official opposition. The Parti Québécois was relegated to third-party status for the first time since the 1973 election. The Liberals won their lowest share of the popular vote since Confederation, and the PQ won their lowest share since 1973 and their second lowest ever.^[1] Each of the three major parties won nearly one-third of the popular vote, easily the closest three-way split in Quebec electoral history. Voter turnout among those eligible was 71.28%, a marginal difference from the previous general election in 2003.^{[2] [3]}

Overview

With just over a year left in the government's five year mandate, the Liberals called an election for March 26, 2007.

In August 2006, there were widespread rumours of an election to be held in the fall with speculation that Premier Jean Charest wanted to hold elections before a federal election would be held.

Benoît Pelletier, the minister responsible for electoral reform, had announced his plan to table two bills about election reform during the fall, possibly leading to a referendum on voting system reform to be held concurrently with the election.^[4] However, as of December 2006, this plan has been put off indefinitely due to strong resistance to the idea of proportional representation from within the Liberal Party.^[5]

Speculation grew that a provincial election would be held following the federal budget. It was thought that the federal Conservative government would present a budget that would address the perceived fiscal imbalance. This measure would help Charest argue that his government was more effective in getting concessions from the federal government than a PQ government would be. With polls showing Charest's Liberals ahead of the opposition for the first time in several years, speculation intensified that Charest would not wait until the federal budget to call a provincial election but call one in the winter to take advantage of both of these developments. Charest recalled the legislature early in order to table a provincial budget on February 20, 2007. On the same day, federal Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty announced that the federal budget would be tabled on March 19, clearing the way for Charest to set a provincial election for a week later in hopes of benefiting from Flaherty's budget. On February 21, Charest called the election for March 26.

Issues

Charest wants to negotiate a solution to the problem of the fiscal imbalance between the federal and provincial governments with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

André Boisclair, leader of the Parti Québécois, had said he would hold a referendum (or "popular consultation", as in the party platform) on the issue of Quebec independence as soon as possible after an election win.^[6]

Multiculturalism, secularism and the place of cultural and religious minorities in Quebec were issues in this election. There was a large scale debate over "reasonable accommodation" towards cultural minorities, and a few political leaders expressed their views on the question. Mario Dumont, leader of the Action démocratique, took a clearer position on the question than the others, calling on the majority to protect some elements of national identity and values such as gender equality, and suggesting that a Quebec Constitution be written, in which the privileges cultural minorities are to be given would be clarified.^[7]

Timeline

• 2005
  • November 15 - André Boisclair is elected as leader of the Parti Québécois with 53.7% of the vote from party members.
  • December 12 - Two by-elections are held. The election of Raymond Bachand allows the Liberals to keep the riding of Outremont, while former Bloc Québécois MP Stéphane Bergeron wins Verchères, Bernard Landry's former riding, for the Parti Québécois.
• 2006
  • February 4 - Québec solidaire, a new left-wing party, is formed from the merger of the Union des forces progressistes party and the Option citoyenne political movement.
  • February 28 - Raymond Bachand enters cabinet as Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade. In this same cabinet shuffle, Thomas Mulcair loses the job of Environment minister to Claude Béchard. Some pundits speculate that Mulcair was punished for his opposition to the Mont Orford condo development project.
  • April 10 - The Parti Québécois keeps the riding of Sainte-Marie—Saint-Jacques in a by-election. Martin Lemay is elected with 41.2% of the vote. Notably, Manon Massé, the candidate from Québec solidaire, finishes third with 22.2% of the vote in this working-class district, while the Action démocratique only gets 1.9% of the vote, down from 8.3% in the 2003 general election.
  • August 14 - By-elections are held in Pointe-aux-Trembles and Taillon. André Boisclair is unsurprisingly and easily elected in Pointe-aux-Trembles, the Liberals and Action démocratique having declined to field candidates against him. The Greens place second with 12% and Québec solidaire, third with 8%. Marie Malavoy of the Parti Québécois is elected in Taillon.
  • August 22 - Boisclair and Malavoy are sworn in as members of the National Assembly. Boisclair becomes opposition leader.
  • October 17 - The fall session of the National Assembly starts, with the current crisis in Quebec's forestry industry as the most important issue.
  • November 27 - In a vote of 266 to 16, The Canadian House of Commons voted to recognise Québecois as a nation within a unified Canada, once again putting the issue of independence in the spotlight.
• 2007
  • January 19 - Radio-Canada reveals that Pierre Descoteaux, Liberal member from Groulx, almost crossed the floor to the Parti Québécois during the fall 2006.^[8]
  • January 22 - During a visit to France, André Boisclair meets Ségolène Royal, Socialist candidate for the 2007 presidential election. At this occasion, Royal expresses her support for the "liberty and sovereignty" of Quebec.^[9] After being criticized by several French media and French and Canadian politicians, such as prime minister Stephen Harper and opposition leader Stéphane Dion, Royal clarifies her thought by saying that she was not interfering in Canadian internal affairs or trying to dictate Quebec's policy, but that the future of Quebec will have to be decided by Quebecers.^[10]
  • February 14 - Pierre Arcand, former president of Corus and presumed Liberal candidate in Mont-Royal, expresses his displeasure with Action démocratique leader Mario Dumont by comparing him with Jean-Marie Le Pen. In response, Dumont threatens legal action but Arcand refuses to apologize. Premier Jean Charest stands by his candidate, and is called a "little partisan premier" by Dumont.^[11]
  • February 20 - Finance minister Michel Audet tables a budget. Among other measures, this budget promises income tax reductions of 250 million dollars and allocates new sums of money to the health and education systems, as well as to the maintenance of roads and bridges. Spending is also increased for the protection of the environment and for the regions' economic development.^[12]
  • February 21 - Premier Jean Charest calls a general election for March 26.^[13][14]
  • March 1 - Radio DJ Louis Champagne of Saguenay creates a controversy by attacking André Boisclair and the Parti Québécois candidate in Saguenay, Sylvain Gaudreault, over their homosexuality, saying that the factory workers of Jonquière would never vote for gays. He also says the Parti Québécois is like a "club of fags". (Gaudreault went on to win the riding.) Boisclair responds that Champagne's remarks are insulting towards the people of Saguenay. Premier Charest and Action démocratique leader Dumont also condemn the attacks. Champagne is later suspended from his job and has to apologize.
  • March 4 - Jean-François Plante, the Action démocratique candidate in Deux-Montagnes, makes controversial comments about women on his blog. Among other things, he questions the provincial government's policies of affirmative action for women and of wage equity between traditionally masculine and feminine occupations, claiming that they lead to discrimination against men. He retracts his comments on the next day, but also accuses André Boisclair of "playing" his homosexuality when it helps him. As a result, he is forced to withdraw his candidacy on March 8. He is replaced as ADQ candidate in Deux-Montagnes by Lucie Leblanc.
  • March 6 - Premier Jean Charest brings the issue of Quebec independence at the forefront of the campaign by saying, while speaking with an English-language journalist, that he does not believe that in the case of separation, Quebec would necessarily keep its territorial integrity. Charest later claims that what he had actually wanted to say was that Quebec was indivisible, but his opponents recall comments he had made in 1996, while he was the leader of the federal Progressive Conservatives, to the effect that in the case of of "yes" result in the 1995 referendum, the Cree and Inuit would have had a good legal basis on which to declare independence from Quebec.
  • March 8 - Newspaper La Presse publishes an article claiming that in a 2003 book, Robin Philpot, Parti Québécois candidate in Saint-Henri—Sainte-Anne, had denied that a genocide had taken place in Rwanda in 1994. Philpot later says that he had not denied that massacres had taken place, but that he wanted people to remember that they had been committed by all parties to the conflict. André Boisclair says that he is "hurt" by his candidate's comments and reminds that the existence of the Rwandan genocide is not in question.
  • March 13 - The leaders debate took place in Quebec City. The Liberals, the Parti Québécois and the Action démocratique du Québec took part but Québec solidaire and the Green party were not invited to participate.
  • March 19 - The federal government releases a budget which gives Quebec 2.3 billion dollars.
  • March 23 - There is widespread outcry when poll clerks are instructed on how to let women wearing the niqāb, an Islamic face veil, vote. After the longstanding policy was criticized by all three main parties, the chief electoral officer reversed his decision and stated that all voters would have to show their face, but not before being inundated by complaints and death threats from people opposed to this form of reasonable accommodation for the immigrant population. Meanwhile, women who actually wear the niqāb say they were never opposed to showing their face when voting.^[15]
  • March 26 - Election date.

Major parties

Results

Results by region

Results by region and riding

Results by place

Opinion polls

• *Swammer performs "live" trend analysis, meaning the results are updated daily.

Campaign slogans

• Action démocratique du Québec: Au Québec, on passe à l'action - In Quebec, We're Taking Action
• Parti libéral du Québec: Unis pour réussir - Moving Forward Together
• Parti Québécois: Reconstruisons notre Québec - Rebuild Our Quebec
• Parti vert du Québec: Je vote - I vote
• Québec solidaire: Soyons lucides, votons solidaire - Let's Be Clear-Eyed, Let's Vote for Solidarity

Incumbent MNAs not running for re-election

Independent

• Daniel Bouchard, Mégantic-Compton

List of candidates

Cabinet members and party leaders are in bold type.

Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine

Côte-Nord and Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean

Capitale-Nationale

Mauricie

Chaudière-Appalaches and Centre-du-Québec

Estrie (Eastern Townships)

Eastern Montérégie

South Shore

East Montreal

Central Montreal

West Montreal

North Montreal

Laval

Lanaudière

Laurentians

Outaouais, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec

References

1. ^ http://www.assnat.qc.ca/fra/patrimoine/votes.html
2. ^ LCN. "national/quebec2007/archives/2007/03/20070327-004949.html Un taux de participation de 71%", March 27, 2007.
3. ^ CTV News. "Que. Liberals win minority, ADQ forms opposition", CTV, March 27, 2007.
4. ^ http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/Politique/2006/09/29/001-scrutin-referendum-qc.shtml
5. ^ http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20061213/CPACTUALITES/61213157/1026/CPACTUALITES
6. ^ http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20060324/CPACTUALITES/60324099/5032/CPACTUALITES
7. ^ http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/Politique/2007/01/16/006-dumont-accommodement.shtml
8. ^ http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/Politique/2007/01/19/002-descoteaux-pq.shtml
9. ^ http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/Politique/2007/01/22/002-royal-souverainete-boisclair.shtml
10. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/01/23/france-royal.html
11. ^ http://www.ledevoir.com/2007/02/16/131352.html
12. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2007/02/20/qc-quebecbudget20070220.html
13. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/canada/quebecvotes2007/story/2007/02/21/charest-election-070221.html?ref=rss
14. ^ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070221.wquecharest0221/BNStory/National/home
15. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/canada/quebecvotes2007/story/2007/03/23/qc-niqab20070323.html?ref=rss

See also

• 38th National Assembly of Quebec
• Politics of Quebec
• List of Quebec premiers
• List of Quebec leaders of the Opposition
• National Assembly of Quebec
• Timeline of Quebec history
• Political parties in Quebec

External links

• Official election site by Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec
• Quebec Votes 2007 from the CBC
• Quebec Votes from the Montreal Gazette
• Nodice.ca - Quebec Provincial Election 2007
• DemocraticSPACE Quebec 2007 Coverage
• Predictions HKDP - Electoral Scenario Creator (French)
• TrendLines Riding Projections (Federal also)

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