Health care dominated the debate as Quebec's election campaign began Thursday, including an accusation by PQ Leader André Boisclair that the provincial Liberals were negligent in handling a deadly C. difficile outbreak.
The Parti Québécois leader said that if the Liberal government had made C. difficile a mandatory reportable disease, more people could have been warned about its dangers before it killed 16 people at the Honoré-Mercier hospital in St-Hyacinthe.
"Would it have prevented some deaths? I cannot make such kind of affirmation right now, because I don't know each of the cases," Boisclair said during a visit to the hospital, where a coroner's inquest is underway to determine the causes of the outbreak.
A day after Premier Jean Charest called an election for March 26, Boisclair pledged to make reporting C. difficile infections mandatory if elected premier.
He also promised to maintain a freeze on tuition and accused the Liberals of stealing the PQ's thunder by taking credit for parental leave and daycare programs introduced by past sovereigntist governments.
Dumont criticizes surgery wait times
Action Démocratique du Québec Leader Mario Dumont also had health on his mind Thursday, attacking the Liberal government's record on reducing surgery wait times.
"It's very simple. More than 40,000 people were on the waiting list above the medically required delays," Dumont said during a stop in Montreal at the St-Justine hospital.
The ADQ leader also took a swing at the Liberals' response to a 2005 Supreme Court of Canada ruling (known as the Chaoulli ruling), which said the Quebec government cannot prevent people from paying for private insurance for health-care procedures covered under medicare.
Charest's government responded to the ruling by allowing private insurance for only three types of surgery — cataract, hip, and knee — but Dumont said the list needed to be expanded to include other procedures.
Charest has said that if his Liberal government is re-elected, it will tackle waiting lists for all types of surgeries as part of its commitment to better health care.
Charest touts high-tech job creation
The Liberal leader spent his first full day of campaigning in the provincial capital, a major battleground in the election.
The Liberals hold eight of 11 seats in the area, but recent public-opinion polls suggest the three main parties are running neck and neck. Health Minister Philippe Couillard is running in a Quebec City riding with the hopes of bolstering the Liberals' profile in the region.
Charest touted his government's job creation efforts during a visit to a Quebec City software company. His last budget, tabled Tuesday, promised more money for the city to help grow high-tech companies.
During a stop in Beauport, Charest also bragged about the latest returns posted by the Caisse de dépôt et placement, Quebec's public pension fund.
The fund announced early Thursday that it posted an average annual return of 14.6 per cent in 2006, placing it in the top quarter of Canada's highest performing pension plans.
Greens, Québec Solidaire promise to spark debate
The Green Party and Québec Solidaire kicked off their campaigns with pledges to influence the election despite their modest numbers.
Quebec Solidaire Leader Françoise David met with supporters in Montreal, where she called for the nationalization of wind power.
"It's to tell people that we are ecologists," she said.
The environment is also the Green Party's favoured issue, and leader Scott McKay said he's not worried about his rival parties' greening efforts.
"We're pretty happy that all the other traditional parties are trying to green their program, but where were they during the last 20 years? Why are they taking a stand only now?"
McKay said the Green Party offers real action on climate change.
Both Québec Solidaire and the Green Party said they may not have huge campaign budgets, but they want to spark a debate on ideas and engage Quebecers in the political process, instead of pumping out big ad spreads.
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| Party | Elected | Leading | Total | Vote Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIB | 48 | 0 | 48 | 33.08% |
| ADQ | 41 | 0 | 41 | 30.80% |
| PQ | 36 | 0 | 36 | 28.32% |
| QS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.65% |
| GRN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.89% |
| OTH | 0 | 0 | 0 | .26% |
| Last Update:March 27, 12:52:21 AM EDT | ||||
Quebec Votes 2007 Headlines »
- Que. Liberals take minority win with grain of salt
- Quebec Premier Jean Charest said he'll build bridges with the Parti Québécois and the Action Démocratique du Québec to ensure a stable minority government.
- Dumont will work with Quebec Premier Charest
- Quebec's new Opposition Leader Mario Dumont said he wants stability at the national assembly and pledged to work with the Liberal minority government on a case-by-case basis.
- Boisclair remains at helm after PQ finishes 3rd
- André Boisclair is staying on as leader of the Parti Québécois and vowed to help rebuild the fractured party after it suffered major losses in Monday's provincial election.
- Quebec election result 'good news' for Canada: PM
- Stephen Harper says voters in the Quebec election have used their ballots to reject calls for another referendum in a "great result" for Canada.
- Charest keeps seat as Liberals cling to power in Quebec
- Quebecers are waking up to a minority Liberal government — the first minority in the province in 130 years — and a new official Opposition.