Quebecers head to the polls, under half of voters have cast a ballot
Quebecers are casting their votes Monday after a five-week election campaign dominated by divisive issues like immigration, climate, the cost of living, health care, and Quebec identity.
Polls are open from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Still undecided? Check out CTV's guide to all the major parties' platforms
- Not sure how or where to vote? All the information you need is here
- Want to look back on key moments of the campaign? Visit CTV's Election Hub
CTV News has already declared Francois Legault's Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) will form a majority government, but with many ballots still to count, there remains a lot of uncertainty for the next National Assembly.
The tightest race remains for second place, with other parties still neck-and-neck. The Liberals (PLQ) are projected to get 16 per cent of the vote, Quebec solidaire (QS) and the Conservatives (CPQ) are tied for 15 per cent, and the Parti Quebecois (PQ) at 14 per cent.
As for how that support will result in elected seats, the CAQ is projected to win 92 ridings, for a majority of the 125 total seats. The PLQ is projected to form a relatively weak official opposition with 21, QS is likely to win approximately nine, the PQ could take three, and despite popular support rivalling other parties, the Quebec Conservatives are not projected to send any candidates to Quebec City.
Party leaders spent Sunday making their final appeals to voters, hoping their stances on language, climate change, and Indigenous issues will win people over.
RIDINGS TO WATCH
Here are some of Quebec's most hotly-contested ridings:
SANT-HENRI-SAINTE-ANNE
This riding in Montreal's southwest is held by Quebec Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade. Oct. 2 polls suggest a three-way split in support for the Liberals (30 per cent), the CAQ (27 per cent), and Quebec Solidaire (27 per cent).
It's an unusually tight race for the riding which has been long-considered a Liberal stronghold.
CAMILLE-LAURIN (BOURGET)
Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is hoping to take a seat from the CAQ in Camille-Laurin, in Montreal's southeast.
Apart from being home to the PQ leader, this riding made headlines during the campaign after videos surfaced showing a QS candidate swiping her opponant's flyers from a mailbox. That candidate stepped down shortly after, leaving a tight race between the PQ and CAQ.
Polls suggest an extremely tight race between St-Pierre Plamondon and incumbent CAQ candidate Richard Campeau.
THE BEAUCE
The Beace, which is actually two Quebec City-area ridings called Beauce-Nord, and Beauce-Sud, are at the centre of the newly-popular Quebec Conservative Party's base.
Conservative Leader Eric Duhaime spent his last day on the campaign trail here, calling the area Conservative territory "par-excellence."
Polls suggest a very tight race against the CAQ in both ridings.
JEAN-LESAGE
After going deep red in 2014, voters in the riding have turned their support to the CAQ and QS. Quebec Solidaire incumbent Sol Zanetti is defending his seat from CAQ contender Christiane Gamache -- and polls suggest the race is very close.
VOTER TURNOUT
As of 5:30 p.m., just over 44 per cent of Quebec electors showed up at the polls both on election day and in advanced polling, according to Elections Quebec.
People prepare to vote, Monday, October 3, 2022 at a polling station in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
In the advance poll, a record-breaking 24 per cent of Quebec electors (over 1.5 million people) cast their votes.
Elections Quebec is expected to provide updates on the Oct. 3 voter turnout throughout the day.
In the 2018 general election, voter turnout was at 66 per cent.
The lowest voter turnout was in the following ridings:
- Marguerite-Bourgeoys: 35.42 per cent (Incumbent: Hélène David)
- Bourassa-Sauve: 33.72 per cent (Incumbent: Paule Robitaille)
- Robert-Baldwin: 33.70 per cent (Incumbent: Carlos J. Leitão)
- Chateauguay: 33.09 per cent (Incumbent: Marie-Chantal Chassé)
- Acadie: 32.35 per cent (Incumbent: Christine St-Pierre)
- Jeanne-Mance-Viger: 31.79 per cent (Incumbent: Filomena Rotiroti)
- Viau: 31.7 per cent (Incumbent: Frantz Benjamin)
- Saint-Laurent: 31.57 per cent (Incumbent: Marwah Rizqy)
- Westmount-Saint-Louis: 31.12 per cent (Incumbent: Jennifer Maccarone)
- Nelligan: 29.61 per cent (Incumbent: Monsef Derraji)
- Duplessis: 25.05 per cent (Incumbent: Lorraine Richard)
- D'Arcy-McGee: 24.57 per cent (Incumbent: David Birnbaum)
- Ungava: 19.99 per cent (Incumbent: Denis Lamothe)
This is a developing story that will be updated.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.