Quebec election: Leaders prepare for 2nd and final debate of campaign

Quebec's party leaders will be spending much of the day preparing for the second and final debate of the election campaign, as polls show the governing Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) firmly in the lead.

The CAQ's four main opponents -- the Liberals (PLQ), Québec Solidaire (QS), the Conservatives (PCQ) and the Parti Québécois (PQ) -- are in a virtual tie for second place, according to the latest Léger poll, which puts the CAQ at 38 per cent.

That poll put the PQ at 13 per cent support and the three other major parties at 16 per cent each as the Oct. 3 election draws near.

CAQ Leader and incumbent premier François Legault is making a point of watching his tongue ahead of Thursday night's debate on Radio-Canada.

Tuesday, he apologized for comments made during last week's debate, when he repeatedly said that racism against Indigenous people at a Quebec hospital was "settled."

He also walked back on comments made earlier in the campaign when he linked immigration to violence.

Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade is slated to hold a news conference Wednesday morning on Montreal's South Shore.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 21, 2022.