Votes vs. seats: Quebec party leaders point to 'broken,' 'distorted' electoral system
As predicted, it was a landslide victory for the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) Monday night, with 40.97 per cent of the vote going towards the party that had 90 candidates elected.
Quebec's other major parties trailed far, far behind the CAQ, each receiving between 12 and 16 per cent of the vote. In all, they received similar results between them in terms of popular support.
But the same can't be said for the number of seats they won.
The Liberal party (PLQ), for example, received fewer votes (14.37 per cent) than Québec solidaire (15.42 per cent), but nearly double the seats.
It's a reality that did not go unmentioned by QS parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
Addressing his supporters on Monday night, Nadeau-Dubois referred to what he called a "broken" electoral system in Quebec.
"Our political system is broken, our democracy is sick. The electoral map tonight does not reflect the political will of Quebecers -- it must be said," Nadeau-Dubois stated.
Quebec 2022 provincial election results. (Elections Quebec) Conservative leader Éric Duhaime expressed similar frustration.
Despite winning 12.92 per cent of the vote, no candidates will represent his party in the National Assembly.
"We are, in a way, caught in the democratic distortion of the century," he said during his post-election speech.
The PQ, meanwhile, received 14.0 per cent of the vote -- just 9,507 fewer than the Liberals -- but only won three seats.
TIME FOR REFORM?
Nadeau-Dubois called on Quebec's re-elected premier to address the issue of vote counts and how they are (or aren't) reflected in the National Assembly.
"We need François Legault to recognize the problem, and we need him to work with us and all the other parties to solve this democratic problem in Quebec," he said.
The CAQ was among numerous parties to sign an agreement ahead of the 2018 election promising to reform the electoral system in Quebec.
Evidently, the premier has changed his tune since then.
Legault expressed opposition to reform during his campaign, stating that it's a concern for "intellectuals" rather than Quebecers in general.
"It's not a priority for Quebecers, but we'll see how they vote on Oct. 3," Legault told reporters.
Speaking to CJAD 800 radio on Tuesday morning, political analyst and former NDP leader Tom Mulcair criticized the current system used in Quebec.
"This is undemocratic," he said. "There's no other way to say it."
He acknowledged that the current system offers relative governmental stability -- opposed to Italy, for example, which adopted a proportional representation model following the Second World War.
"But you don't have to go full proportional," Mulcair said. "There's something that they call a mixed member [representation]."
Under this system, a proportion of seats -- a dozen, Mulcair offered -- would be determined by the percentage of votes a party receives.
"There are ways to avoid the distortions that we saw last night."
- Listen on CJAD 800: Mulcair: Breaking down the results the morning after the Quebec election
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.