Marois vs Legault: No Caribou Were Hurt During This Debate

François Legault's worst nightmare?

At one point during this 3rd head-to-head debate between the Quebec leaders featuring the PQ's Pauline Marois and the CAQ's François Legault, the topic of popular initiative referendums came up and Legault suggested that the spectre of hardcore separatists demanding a Quebec Independence would be catastrophic:

"Like caribou leading the herd off a cliff!"

He probably meant buffalo but credit the noble caribou that graces our Canadian coinage as having had such an impact on François Legault's psyche that he could only imagine the disaster that would befall a nation if such a majestic animal were to be led into a chasm.

And so they spoke at length about popular initiative referendums that have all the binding authority of a Federal Environment Assessment Plan.

None.

But a strange thing became clear to me during this debate: François Legault isn't simply out of his depth when debating, he deliberately repeats himself incessantly and cuts his opponent off to argue the same point over and over again. He has his talking points: Pauline Marois has her hands tied to unions and that she's the Queen of Inaction. And he asks, over and over again, that the PQ puts forth its economic plan (a legitimate point, I grant you).

But the constant repetition is grinding and irritating.

Marois came across as the more polished politician despite having a bad day of having to backtrack on her claim that only Quebecers whose French is "good enough" would be able to sit at the National Assembly or in a mayoral office.

Anglophones and aboriginals did not take kindly to having to pass the "Marois test" to enter political office.

It's hard to say if the more aggressive style of Legault won people over. People are fed up of excuses and his Alexander the Great solution to the "Gordian Knot" problem that is emergency room wait times.

On the economy, they seemed obstinate to want to talk at the same time and I don't think anything new was discussed but many numbers were tossed around and I suspect many people used this crucial time to visit the bathroom.

So who won this debate? I have a lesser opinion of François Legault after the debates than I had going into them so that's a remarkable feat for him to pull off. Pauline Marois, with her yet to be released Financial Plan, her nebulous position on a Quebec referendum and her improvised language laws fills me with anything but confidence in her.

The winner: Françoise David and Quebec Solidaire who only appeared in the SRC debate but had a good showing. She undeniably had the best showing of any candidate by far.

How will things shake out come September 4th? I don't think anyone dares to make a prediction.

Charest vs Legault: Who Won the Political Thunderdome?

We don't need another hero...

"Two men enter; one man leaves!"

So says Aunty Entity in the post-apocalyptic Mad Max sequel which, it bears mentioning, features better roads than those found in Montreal today.

And it will most likely be the political end of at least one of these two men after this election. Jean Charest will not sit in an opposition bench waiting 5 years for another crack at power and while François Legault stretched his initial offer to reenter political life from 5 years to 10, it's quite possible he'll pull out of politics if he finds himself as the third party with very little popular support.

It's hard to know with Legault so, as he's fond of saying: "On verra".

After appearing like the argumentative pub drunk on the 4 Leaders debate on Sunday, Legault started out surprisingly strong. He methodically raised the ethical issues surrounding Charest's cabinet and asked for explanation. Jean Charest was on the defensive for most of these exchanges but wily Liberal did take shots at some of Legault's team. Still, a calm and calculating approach was effective for Legault but once Charest accused him of not speaking up when Provigo was bought up by Loblaws, he reverted to an incensed and outraged populist.

It wasn't a terrible performance from Legault but he clearly ran out of steam and patience at the end. It would be fair to question whether or not he confused the Premier with the FedEx delivery guy because he kept chastising him over and over again that he "didn't deliver the merchandise!".

But since we're choosing a Premier and not a Chief Debater, Legault's saving grace was that his earnestness shone through. Sure, you can argue that his ideas are simplistically flawed but he does admit that the province will enter a crucible for a period of time if he were to be Premier. He's perfectly willing to shake things up administratively within the province.

For Charest, he certainly comes across as someone that knows his files. The most obvious flaw after hearing him debate for 4 hours in 3 nights is that his way of accounting for results is stating how he increased spending in various ministerial budgets. The services provided though are skillfully omitted when it doesn't suit him. His approach is to launch into his numbers and rattle them off one after another as the elector's eyes glaze over with boredom.

Jean Charest never connects with the people watching. It's always aggressive and defensive posturing.

So who won? First half of the debate clearly belonged to Legault and the second half to Charest.

However, no one inspired the electorate to want to vote for either party.

Tonight, there were no winners, only losers.

The Fallout of Charest vs Marois

A sovereignty debate is a dish best served stale

Tonight was reminiscent of every Quebecers worst memories of large family gatherings when the topic of politics was raised and everyone was liquored up as  we were served up a head to head debate between Premier Jean Charest of the Liberal Party of Quebec and Pauline Marois of the Parti Québécois.

This duel simply reinforced preexisting ideas about both respective parties.

Charest came out charging accusing Pauline Marois of not being part of an ethically challenged government that displayed incompetency when it was last in power and only offers instability and division within the province and country. Marois counters that the Liberals are corrupt, lacking in leadership and terrible stewards of the Quebec culture and public purse.

This went on for one hour.

I don't know anyone that, if forced to choose between the two parties, doesn't already have a definite idea of who'd they vote for. This debate, while necessary and worthwhile, shouldn't be seen as something that will sway voters one way or another but more as a touchstone for the next two debates that will feature François Legault. Both leaders were passionate, knowledgeable and prepared. In his first debate, Legault seemed like a fish out of water. People will judge his performance by comparing him to the other two leaders.

If he miraculously shines in the one-on-one debate format, he can take votes from either party. If he collapses and looks unprofessional, it will most likely help Premier Jean Charest the most as the CAQ supporters are mostly composed of disaffected Liberal loyalists.

So who won between Marois and Charest? Nobody except maybe pharmaceutical companies who make blood-pressure medication.

The table is set though: both Marois and Charest will fight to the finish and have come equipped to do so. Will the same be true of François Legault when he squares off against Jean Charest tomorrow? Stay tuned!

Your Quebec Leaders Debate Report Card

One leader needs to take a debating class...

Because education is at the forefront of the issues in this 2012 Quebec election and everyone loves grades to determine winners and losers despite being cognizant that it is a reductionist tool for what something entirely dependant on your socioeconomic and cultural point of view, here is the report card on the Quebec leader's debate.


Jean Charest:  B

If you hate Premier Jean Charest - and many Quebecers do - than everything from his responses to his body language to his knowing smile were a source of constant irritation throughout the debate. However, if you're a Liberal supporter, you saw his demeanor as that of confident leader that was just itching to respond to the many of criticisms thrown his way throughout recent months. From what many are taking away from the commenting twiterrati is that his cocksure smile did him in. Well, twitter isn't the electorate or else all of Quebec would have been marching in the streets demanding free university education.

His grade here is more based on his debating ability. He always had a ready answer to every question and accusations against him didn't phase him at all. He was able to go on the offensive quite ably as well. He didn't feel compelled to overreact and get overly emotional unlike some of his opponents. Throughout, he was professional and knew his issues in depth.

However, his biggest failure were his omissions and his obfuscations. Regarding the criticisms laid before him, he always deflected them. There never was a mea culpa on his part on any issue despite questionable decisions from his government. In the end, he sounded more and more like Stephen Harper blaming the federal Liberals for the ills of Canada as he kept blaming the PQ for every thing despite being in power for 9 years. Personal responsibility and humility never made an appearance.


Françoise David: A-

The Quebec Solidaire co-leader (or co-spokesperson) displayed a great deal of maturity, knowledge on the issues and professionalism that was both unexpected and surprising. Of all the leaders, she was the most at ease in the debate and was able to shine due to her poise and calm behaviour. For many, the inclusion of Quebec Solidaire wasn't supposed to have any impact and all the other leaders dealt with her by simply ignoring her. They did so at their own peril because while it's questionable whether her performance will lead to greater support, she more than held her own and made them pale in comparison.

My only criticism is that much like many other left-wing leaders, the viewer would necessarily raise an eyebrow every time she casually suggested that free university education is a simple choice. An electorate that was largely opposed to the student demands won't simply shrug and let the suggestion go by without scrutiny.


Pauline Marois: B-

Overall, she came across as very capable and knowledgeable on every issue. She was combative but sometimes lost her cool. Nothing dramatic but she'd often go over her time and was irritated by Jean Charest especially. It appeared like Question Period at the National Assembly all over again! But more often than not, she'd remain composed and took her shots at her opponents with good effect and was able to point out glaring inconsistencies in both the Liberals and the CAQ.

She held her own quite well but the wishy-washy statement of "I-want-a-referendum-tomorrow-but-it-depends-on-the-people-so-I-guarantee-there-won't-be-any-surprises-but-it-probably-will-happen-within-the-first-mandate-if-things-look-promising" is just more evidence of why a party like Option Nationale is necessary as a more upfront sovereignist party.


François Legault: C-

Well he didn't collapse on the stage and curl up in the fetal position so that's a positive. He was far from eloquent, he never inspired and was often repeating the same things over and over again. He would sometimes answer a question that was no longer the topic discussed and was determined to go over his time and act boorishly.

The repetition of his talking points though, did come across clearly but if we'll remember one thing from his performance, it will be his constant questioning of "how many doctors does Quebec additionally need so that everyone has a doctor in the province?"

He asked that question over and over and over again. One the campaign trail, he's developed the reputation of being Quebec's version of Joe Biden. Put a microphone in front of him and he'll say something stupid.

He never looked even remotely comfortable. It will be in his interest to hype his caucus the rest of the way rather than his own credentials. He was unprepared to respond to attacks against his economic plan but wasn't completely out of sorts when he was taking shots at the Liberals or the PQ.

Still, this party is crying out for a professional communications director.

Roundup of Pathetic Promises & Pandering in Quebec Provincial Election

Election campaign season is upon us in Quebec

With the election campaign underway in Quebec, we're treated to collective amnesia to the fact that the province is running a serious deficit and a heavy debt load. While commitments to strategic investments that would spur the economy and combining it with cuts to government spending on needless projects (hockey arena giveaway!) would be welcomed, instead we're treated to shameless pandering and promises that taste similarly to sugary sweets: lacking in sustenance but very popular!

 So here's in no particular order, the sickening promises that make an electorate cynical.

Parti Québécois

They'll scrap the student tuition hike! They'll get more money from the mining industry! They'll created a Business Development Bank of Canada of Quebec to spur regional development. Star candidate Léo Bureau-Blouin will give 25% of his salary to the needy in his riding!

Strangely enough, they are the least shameless of the Big 3... so far. Needless to say, they're off to a bad start.

Liberal Party of Quebec

There is no shortage of promises you can make when you have no shame. Fortunately, Jean Charest doesn't know the meaning of the word. The Liberal Party of Quebec will create 250,000 jobs over the next 5 years. There will be Plan Nord jobs and Green Jobs!

Hey, you know who pledged to create 250,000 jobs? Wisconsin governor Scott Walker! How's that working for him? He's got 2 years to go in his mandate and he's got 228,049 to go! Keep at it, Scott!

Far-flung numbers not juicy enough for the electorate? Appeal to directly to their pocketbook! You want money? Jean Charest will cut you $100 cheque for back-to-school expenses!

Energy conservation tax credit? You bet! I love that, everyone that's not Stephen Harper loves that! There can be nothing wrong with that, right? Oh, Jean Charest promised that in 2008 and that lasted all of one year.

Even Jean Charest's promises seem tired and borrowed...

Coalition Avenir Quebec

François Legault knows how to make a splash!

• Middle class tax cut of $500 over 5 years? You got it.
• Health care user fees? Gone! That's $200 in your pocket.
• Everyone gets a family doctor after one year!
• Teachers get better salaries! Doctors get better salaries! Universities get increased funding! Medication costs lowered! Oprah will then drop by in the province and hand everyone a set of car keys.

Needless to say, this party is on the upswing!

And so, with millions of dollars being pledged, thousands of jobs have being promised and with possibilities and promises seeming endless: remember the mantra that voting for a smaller party that comprises your values is a wasted vote.

Because those small parties lack credibility...