Five takeaways from final debate of Quebec election campaign

POLITICS Five takeaways from final debate of Quebec election campaign By Staff The Canadian Press Posted September 24, 2026 9:02 am 4 min read WATCH: Party leaders prepare for final French-language debate in Quebec election LEAVE A COMMENT SHARE THIS ITEM ON FACEBOOK SHARE THIS ITEM ON X SEND THIS PAGE TO SOMEONE VIA EMAIL SEE MORE SHARING OPTIONS DESCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE INCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE After being greeted by a raucous crowd of supporters and protesters, the leaders of Quebec’s five major political parties dove into their third and final debate of the election campaign, hosted by Radio-Canada on Wednesday evening. Here are five takeaways from a debate featuring Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette, Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard, Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and Quebec Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime. 1. There was a one-hour wait for sparring on sovereignty and a referendum. The leaders discussed five major themes during Wednesday’s debate. But voters watching at home had to wait until the second hour to hear one of the evening’s most animated exchanges — during a segment about the future of Quebec. The PQ leader and Québec solidaire’s co-spokesperson are both in favour of sovereignty, with slightly different approaches. Ruba Ghazal promoted her plan to get Indigenous people and English-speaking Quebecers to buy into a campaign to make the province a country. This was the only mention of Quebec’s English-speaking population in the entire debate. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT St-Pierre Plamondon quickly found himself on the defensive over his recent pledge to wait until after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the White House before triggering a referendum. Milliard pressed St-Pierre Plamondon on whether this delay was an admission a referendum would weaken Quebec — a theory, the PQ leader dismissed. Get daily Montreal news Get daily Montreal news delivered to your inbox so you'll never miss the day's top stories. SIGN UP FOR DAILY MONTREAL NEWSLETTER GET STARTED BY PROVIDING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO GLOBAL NEWS' TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY. “It’s proof that we are living a very unusual moment with the Americans that is unacceptable on the part of the Trump administration,” St-Pierre Plamondon said in French. “It’s not a serene climate (while Trump is president) to reflect on our future.” The PQ leader…