CAQ sails to victory in Quebec with largest majority in decades

Franois Legault's Coalition Avenir Qubec haswon back-to-back provincial elections, securing a landslide victory on Monday and, with even larger majority, cementing itself as a political powerhouse.

TheCAQwas elected in 90ridings, making it the highest number of seats won by a party in a Quebec election since 1989,when Robert Bourassa's Liberals won 92 seats.

The CAQ entered the election campaign with 76 seats 63 are needed for a majority in the National Assembly.

Late Monday,Legaultaddressed his supporters at his party's election night headquarters in Quebec City to celebrate his victory.

"We got a clear message [tonight]. Quebecers sent a strong message, Quebecers told us 'Let's continue!'" Legault said in reference to his party's campaign slogan.

The CAQisthe firstparty other than the Quebec Liberals or theParti Qubcoisto win back-to-back majorities since 1956.

WATCH| Legault explains why CAQ victory is historic:

Legault celebrates decisive win in victory speech

2 years ago

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Franois Legaults Coalition Avenir Qubec won its second majority government on Monday. The premier says hell improve Quebecs education network, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen Quebecs economy.

The party managedto grow its majoritywithout increasing its footprint in Montreal. TheCAQ won only two seats on the island, the same as in 2018, though it did manage to win at least four ofsix seats in Laval.

Provincewide, alarge CAQ majority always seemed the most likely outcome even with Legault and his party making headlines during the campaign with controversial statements on immigration. The premier apologized for a statement that linked immigrants to extremism and violence.

"An election divides," Legault said. "Quebecers make up a great people and when I say Quebecers make up a great people I'm talking about all Quebecers from all regions, from all ages, from all origins. I will be the premier for all Quebecers."

With Liberal candidates being elected in 21 ridingsthe party once again finishedin second place and will form the Official Opposition, four years after its crushingdefeatin2018. Qubec Solidairehas been elected in11seats.

Led by co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, the party increased its seat total at the National Assembly for the fifth consecutive general election.

"What are we going to do at the National Assembly starting in a few weeks? Well, we will fight for what really matters," Nadeau-Dubois told supporters during his speech Monday night. "We will fight for people's health, for the health of the environment. We will fight to fix the housing crisis."

The PQ's seat count dropped and the party is left with only three ridings. The Quebec Conservativesfailed to win a single seat, although theydramatically improved theirshare of the popular vote.

The seat totals for both the PQand the Liberals are the lowest in the history of their parties.

Legault's party entered this campaign witha commanding lead in polls, leavinghis main opponents essentially battling for second place.

Inflation, health care and immigration were among the issues that dominated the five-week campaign.For 36 days, the CAQ campaigned under the slogan "Continuons," French for "Let's Continue."

The right-of-centre party co-founded by Legaultin 2011 touted itself as the experienced choiceto continue building the province's economy, fix its reeling health-care system and guard against the decline of the French language.

A second straight majority for Legault's partymeans the province is even further removed from the traditional debate about federalism and sovereignty with the Liberals and the PQas the two main parties.

For years, the CAQ has managed to appeal to a large number of Quebecers across the political spectrum,according to Lisa Birch, an associate professor with Universit Laval in Quebec City.

"The CAQ has been very successful in targeting the sort of median voter who's centre-right on economic policy and public finance but still leans a little to the left in terms of ensuring that we have investments in education and health care," Birch told CBC News.

Pandemic spotlight

The party's first term was largely defined by its management of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 16,700 Quebecers have died from the disease.

Although the government was scrutinized for its pandemic policies, which included vaccination passports, business and school closures and overnight curfews, the public health emergency also put a bigger spotlight on Legault and the CAQ.

The premier's daily briefings to the media and the public left little room for the opposition parties to participate in discourse on public-health measures. And Legault's long-term use of emergency measure powers ensured there was little scrutiny or debate at the National Assembly.

The Quebec Liberals' Dominique Anglade and the Parti Qubcois's Paul St-Pierre Plamondonwho both ran in the Montreal area became the leaders of their partiesduring the first year of the pandemic.

During the Legault government's first term, it adopted the controversial religious symbols law, known as Bill 21, and the reform of the Charter of the French Language, known as Bill 96. The CAQ government used the notwithstanding clause to protect both laws from Charter challenges, but they are both being debated in the courts.

At dissolution, the Liberals formed the Official Opposition with 27 seats. Qubec Solidaire and the Parti Qubcois had 10 and seven seats, respectively. The Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) had one, after a CAQ MNA crossed the floor. There are 125 seats in Quebec's National Assembly.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Legault for his victory.

All leaders win seats, except Duhaime

The premier also won his seat in L'Assomption.

Nadeau-Dubois, the co-spokesperson for QubecSolidairesecuredhis seat in the Montreal riding of Gouin. Anglade will continue to be the MNAin the city's Saint-HenriSaint-Anne riding. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, the leader of the Parti Qubcois, defeated CAQ incumbent Richard Campeau to win in Camille-Laurin, located inMontreal's east end.

PCQLeaderric Duhaime failed to win theChauveau riding,located in the Quebec City region.

lections Qubec says voter turnout was 66.06 per cent, slightly lower than in 2018,when66.45 per cent of eligible Quebec voters cast a ballot.