Election season is right around the corner in Quebec as political parties will officially kick off their respective campaigns on Sunday, August 28.
Parties will have 36 days to convince voters they’re the correct choice to lead the province.
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On Wednesday, Quebec Premier François Legault announced his campaign bid across his social media platforms. “I want to wish a good campaign to all candidates,” he said in French.
The campaigning will last until voters head to the polls on Monday, October 3.
Le 28 août, ça commence officiellement. pic.twitter.com/nqN8WRsFHN
— François Legault (@francoislegault) August 23, 2022
In 2018, Legault and the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) won a majority in the province, the party’s first win in Quebec. It was the first time a new party took power in the province since 1976.
Quebec’s electoral calendar works from a law on fixed-date elections which was adopted in 2013 under the Parti Québécois (PQ) government of Pauline Marois. The law made a default election day on the first Monday of October every four years.
In Quebec, the campaign length varies between 33 and 39 days. This year is 36.
As per the electoral laws, Legault will ask Quebec’s Lieutenant-Governor Michel Doyon to dissolve parliament on Sunday and call a general election.
Quebec currently has 25 authorized provincial political parties, four of which succeeded in having candidates elected in 2018: the CAQ, the Liberals, PQ, and Québec solidaire (QS).
There are 125 seats in the National Assembly of Quebec and 63 are needed to form a majority. The CAQ currently has 76 MNAs, the Liberals have 27, QS has 10, the PQ has seven, the Conservatives have one, and there are four independents.
The leaders
François Legault, Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ)
Leader since: November 4, 2011
Dominique Anglade, Liberal
Leader since: May 11, 2020
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, Québec Solidaire (QS)
Leader since: May 21, 2017
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, Parti Québécois (PQ)
Leader since: October 9, 2020
Éric Duhaime, Conservative
Leader since: April 17, 2021
For voters
During the election period, voters will receive a notice that allows them to check whether their name is correctly entered on the list of electors. The notice includes the days and times on which they can register (or make changes to their entry on the list of electors) and vote in advance polls.
Electors will also receive a reminder card that indicated where to vote on Quebec election day and which candidates are running in their electoral division.
Electors can register or modify their entry on the list of electors from the 21st to the 4th day before election day.
Electors will have access to various advanced polling methods from the 10th to the 4th day before the election.
Should electors not vote at advance polls, they may exercise their right to vote on October 3.
Règles sur l’affichage en période électorale lors des élections provinciales de 2022: https://t.co/ftQyCeuISm (communiqué) #qc2022 #polqc #ÉlectionsQuébec
— Élections Québec (@electionsquebec) August 23, 2022
In the past decade, the participation rate in Quebec elections has been decreasing. It fell from 74.6% in 2012 to 71.44 in 2014, and down to 66.45% in 2018.
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