PQ targets Quebec's immigration system on day 3 of election campaign as rivals push back
Immigration, carbon tax abolition, and senior home care on the agenda
It's day three of the Quebec election campaign and immigration is already emerging as one of the key themes on the campaign trail.
Here's what you might've missed on Saturday.
Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon held a news conference in front of a Quebec City school, promising to "repair" what he called an immigration system "broken by the CAQ."
St-Pierre Plamondon said the school has had to add a modular complex of 24 classrooms to deal with overcrowding. He blamed the issue on Quebec's immigration capacity, claiming it has been "greatly exceeded."
"We are facing a complete loss of control over our immigration system. And this situation is directly attributable to Christine Fréchette herself, who served as minister of immigration," St-Pierre Plamondon said.
He reiterated his party's plan to reduce temporary immigration by at least half and to set a cap of approximately 35,000 new permanent residents per year. The current cap is 45,000 permanent immigrants per year through 2029.
St-Pierre Plamondon also declared that he does not hold immigrants themselves responsible for Quebec’s social problems, but rather what he believes is an unsustainable immigration policy.
QS, Liberals condemn PQ's comments on immigration
His comments drew criticism from his political opponents on Saturday.
Québec Solidaire slammed St-Pierre Plamondon's speech on immigration.
"I find it appalling that Mr. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon continues to speak about immigration in such a negative way," said QS co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal.
"Yes, we need to have debates ... that are healthy, and today, when we look at the maintenance deficit in our infrastuctures, particularly in our schools, and the lack of space, we can’t just say it’s because of immigration; these problems existed before."
Liberal leader Charles Milliard also questioned the PQ's proposal to reduce immigration targets.
"What does Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon’s proposal mean for the economy?” he asked.
"Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon has always been clear that he wants to reduce immigration, which he considers an obstacle to preserving the Quebec identity. I don’t share that view, and I can’t wait to hear his figures."
CAQ promises $1B boost to senior home care
CAQ Leader Christine Fréchette kicked off her third day on the campaign trail by pledging to improve home care services for seniors through a $1 billion boost over four years.
She had also promised to invest in those services during her party's leadership race.
"We all want to grow old at home, surrounded by our friends and loved ones," Fréchette told reporters and seniors living in an affordable residence in Drummondville on Saturday morning.
"We will enable more seniors and more people with disabilities to live at home longer and with dignity."
The CAQ leader asserts that this measure will also help reduce pressure on the healthcare system, given the aging population.
This is the second announcement in a row aimed at seniors, following the promise — unveiled on Friday — to offer a tax credit for people who wish to adapt their homes to accommodate an elderly relative.
Fréchette also promised to extend Bill 101 — province's Charter of the French Language — to adult and vocational education centres.
Fréchette made the same promise during the CAQ leadership race.
Duhaime wants to abolish carbon tax
The Conservatives continued focusing on affordability during a stop in Lévis on Saturday.
Leader Éric Duhaime announced that, if elected, he would abolish the ''carbon tax'' and suspend provincial taxes on gas for at least five months.
He said this measure would save Quebecers around $1,600 in the party's first mandate and that the suspension on gas taxes would last at least five months, reducing the price by 19 cents per litre.
The party added that these were two of the four measures they would implement.
On Friday, it announced an income tax cut that it says will save an average Quebec household nearly $8,800 in its first mandate, if elected.
The party said there's one more tax-cutting measure coming on Sunday.
QS commit to Orange Line extension, Gatineau tramway
Québec Solidaire members began their day in the heart of Quebec City, unveiling their transit plan.
Their goal, they explained, is to invest $23 billion over a period of 10 years to repair and expand public transportation infrastructure across the province.
"We're going to invest as much money in public transportation as we already do in roads," Ghazal said.
This includes extending Montreal's Orange Metro Line to Laval, completing the first phase of Quebec City's tramway and quickly launching the second phase, as well as a commitment to build a tramway in Gatineau that would connect to Ottawa's O-Train.
In her speech, Ghazal called out past governments for having "heavily neglected" public transportation in Quebec.
Co-spokesperson Sol Zanetti also argued that better public transportation infrastructure is good for the environment.
He added that accessible buses and trains will encourage people to leave their cars at home and, as a result, reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Milliard plans to reduce administrative red tape
In his news conference in Shawinigan, Milliard announced various measures to ease the administrative burden that is stifling Quebec's economy.
He said that, if elected, he would put in place a rapid response team called ''Efficacité Québec'' to help businesses stuck in the ''government labyrinth'' and speed up the implementation of projects.
For example, an entrepreneur whose project is stalled between two or three ministries would no longer have to run around after them. There would be a single point of contact to find a solution and resolve the problem, the Liberal leader said.
"Quebec is starting to look more and more like the madhouse in The 12 Tasks of Asterix, where people search for the famous form, search for the famous answer, and then can’t find it," Milliard pointed out.
Milliard also said he would put in place an immediate moratorium on any new regulations that increase regulatory burden on companies, and implement maximum response times for ministries and agencies.
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With files from CBC's Kwabena Oduro, Mélissa François, Cathy Senay, Sharon Yonan-Renold, Natalia Weichsel, and Radio-Canada