Quebec's First Leaders' Debate Follows Week of Health, Transit and Safety Pledges
Quebec's five major party leaders will meet Tuesday for the first of three debates ahead of the Oct. 5 election, after a week centred on health prevention, transit and public safety. The Globe and Mail
The debate will include Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard, Québec solidaire spokesperson Ruba Ghazal and Quebec Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime.
Health led the week. St-Pierre Plamondon promised $550 million over four years for prevention, including physical activity and mental health care. Milliard promised to direct five per cent of Quebec's health budget to prevention within 10 years, including vaccination, cancer screening and chronic disease prevention.
St-Pierre Plamondon also repeated his plan to abolish Santé Québec, the province-wide agency created in 2024 that became the single employer for the health and social services network. Think of it as a central hiring office for hospitals and care centres across Quebec. Fréchette said she would address the shortage of health workers and left the door open to paying for care in private clinics. She set out those positions in televised interviews. CBC
On public safety, Fréchette promised $196 million to hire 300 more police officers and 50 prosecutors in Quebec. She made the announcement at Quebec's police school in Nicolet, near Trois-Rivières.
On transit, Ghazal promised free public transit for riders under 25 and over 65 if elected. Duhaime attended a protest in Quebec City against the tramway project there and called for a clear estimate of its cost.
On the economy, all five parties agreed the next government must support businesses hurt by the trade war. CityNews The leaders also discussed tariffs and sovereignty in televised interviews. CBC
On sovereignty, Fréchette said earlier in the campaign that St-Pierre Plamondon avoided the word 'referendum' at a Parti Québécois rally in Quebec City the night before. The Globe and Mail Quebec is Canada's second most populous province. Reuters
The broader context here is jurisdiction, or which level of government is responsible. Health, policing and transit fall mainly to Quebec and the municipalities, so leaders can make detailed delivery promises. Support for tariff-hit firms is different. Any Quebec program will have to fit with federal measures, industry by industry.
Looking to Tuesday, watch how each leader links prevention to how the system is run. The Parti Québécois links new prevention money to closing Santé Québec. The Liberals link it to a long-term share of the budget. The CAQ links access to staffing and private-clinic capacity. Those are three different ideas about the access problem, with different laws to pass after Oct. 5.
For Tuesday's regional test, watch transit and safety. Free fares matter most in Montreal, Laval and other centres with large transit systems. The tramway dispute speaks directly to Quebec City. More officers and prosecutors answer mayors asking for enforcement help. In a province where Montreal, the capital, the regions and the North often see issues differently, the debate will show which voters each leader is addressing first.
