(Gaspé) PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon delivers one final appeal to persuade Quebecers, who valued his campaign to send members of the Parti Québécois to the National Assembly: The Coalition avenir Québec will form a majority government and won’t need yours support, but the sovereignist movement does.
Posted 11:24am Updated 1:54pm
Charles Lecavalier The Press
“The CAQ doesn’t need your vote, but independence and the defense of the French and the defense of our regions, yes,” he called into being in front of a hundred activists gathered in Gaspé.
Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon made an aerial flash on this last day of the campaign. In the morning he is in Gaspé to support outgoing MP and candidate Méganne Perry Mélançon. He will then go to Sept-Îles and Saguenay, two other PQ castles. He wanted “that we have a strong opposition, that we have voices that speak, especially in defense of our regions,” he said.
In a Léger poll published by Quebecor Media on Sunday, the Parti Québécois appeared to be leveling off on voting intentions given its historic defeat in 2018 (17% and 10 MPs). But Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon sees a glimmer of hope: the Quebecers liked his performance. “Among Francophones, more than 40% of people think the best campaign is the Parti Québécois campaign,” he said.
On the ground, outgoing MP Méganne Perry Mélançon, for example, claims to have felt a “PSPP effect” after the first debate, which gave her campaign a new boost.
First choice
“When I say to people make the PQ your first choice, it just means saying if you like our ideas, if you like our campaign, our way of doing politics, vote accordingly and vote for it. There is strong resistance,” he said.
“I challenge the people. What we are seeing is the possibility of a CAQ able to rule with no or almost no resistance,” he warns. And the only party that can convince people to do more for the French language is the Parti Québécois, he added.
“I’m quite optimistic because all the indicators show a felt appreciation for our campaign and I believe that given the circumstances, knowing that the CAQ will very likely be the government, there are people encouraging us and for it will ensure that we have the space,” said Mr St-Pierre Plamondon.