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Quebecers cast early ballots ahead of the Oct. 5 provincial election, with the economy, language and health care on their minds, while party leaders attack Christine Fréchette over foreign interference claims.
Quebecers began casting early ballots on Sunday at advance polling stations across the province ahead of the Oct. 5 general election. Along the Saint-Lawrence River, with a view of the Montreal skyline, voters gathered at stations like one at the Montreal science centre.
Marc Fortin and Denise Tremblay, accompanied by their two grandchildren, were among the early voters on the first day of advance polling. We wanted to take part in Electeurs en herbe, a youth voting simulation program, to start preparing the civic action of the future, said Fortin, who voted in the downtown riding of Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques. Five parties are expecting to win seats in the election.
Five Parties Expect Seats In Election
They are Christine Fréchette's Coalition Avenir Québec, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon's Parti Québécois, Charles Milliard's Quebec Liberals, Éric Duhaime's Quebec Conservatives and Ruba Ghazal's Québec solidaire. The economy, the cost of living and relations with the United States were important issues for Fortin. Tremblay said she wanted to encourage continued reform to government systems, like the CAQ's health-care reform, and digital transition projects. Asked who had got their vote, the pair were quick to reply: Madame (Christine) Fréchette.
For other early voters who spoke to The Canadian Press on Sunday, the issue of language came up often. Yasemin Kahyaoglu, a university lecturer who also voted at the science centre, called on politicians to recognize the value of English universities, where tuition went up in recent years for out-of-province and international students. Pushing people out of the province, pushing universities out of province, that doesn't make sense to me, she said.
Voters Oppose French Only Election Documents
In a polling station in Westmount, a bilingual city on the Island of Montreal, voters spoke out against the sending of election documents only in French this election, in accordance with the province's new language law. David Freedman, a voter at the Westmount polling station, said language was the single big issue he was following. I'd like to combine the English and the French together.
I think it's important, he said, adding that he had cast his vote for the Liberals. In the 2022 Quebec elections, one-third of the 66 per cent of eligible voters who cast ballots voted early, said Élections Québec spokesperson Julie St-Arnaud-Drolet. Despite the growing popularity, there are only about a quarter the number of polling stations during advance voting as there are on election day.
There's an enduring myth that it's faster to vote during advance polling, but that isn't the case, because there are much fewer polling stations, she said, encouraging people to vote on election day if they can. For Réjean Matte, another voter in Westmount, casting his ballot early was the end of a too-long election season. We get sick of it. Politicians start repeating the same thing.
Foreign Interference Claims Dominate Discussion
And the more they debate on TV, the more they resort to low blows, he said. Meanwhile, on the campaign trail, reactions to Christine Fréchette's claims of foreign interference continued to dominate discussion. On Friday, Fréchette said she was concerned Americans might try to support the sovereigntist Parti Québécois to destabilize Canada. Her rivals were skeptical about the warnings, and Fréchette later seemed to backtrack, saying there was no indication of interference in the current campaign.
On Sunday, party leaders continued to attack Fréchette on the claims. Liberal and Parti Québécois leaders Milliard and St-Pierre Plamondon said the affair disqualified Fréchette from leadership. The five major party leaders were set to meet Sunday night on the set of the popular weekly French-language talk show Tout le monde en parle. Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon met a convinced sovereigntist, Helene Morin, while visiting a local market in Quebec City on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.
Quebecers are going to the polls for a provincial election on Oct. 5.
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CTVToronto:Quebec voters bring issues like economy, language and health to advance pollingThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Polling Stations Marc Fortin Parti Québécois Quebec City Denise Tremblay Eligible Voters Christine Fréchette Election Day Provincial Election Advance Voting Québec Solidaire Quebec Liberals Charles Milliard Montreal Science Centre Quebec Election Advance Polling Foreign Interference Language Law Party Leaders
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