There will be no English-language debate during this fall’s Quebec provincial election.
The leaders of Quebec’s five main parties were invited to participate in a 90-minute debate by a consortium of English-language media outlets, including CityNews Montreal.
The governing Coalition Avenir Québec and the Parti Québécois declined the invitation.
A spokesperson for the Quebec Liberal Party told the consortium it would participate in the debate only if all five parties were participating, as was the case with the other debates.
Québec solidaire and the Conservative Party of Quebec agreed to the debate, which was scheduled for Sept. 24.
The CAQ said it declined “after analyzing our campaign plan and the commitments already planned,” while the PQ said it was because of “the increase in the number of debates in general, as well as the number of meetings with leaders.”
Quebec’s major party leaders have only ever taken part in one televised English-language debate during a provincial election, in 2018.
The only other English provincial leaders’ debate in Quebec took place in 1985, a radio-only affair featuring Liberal Leader Robert Bourassa and PQ Leader Pierre-Marc Johnson.
The English news media consortium is comprised of CityNews Montreal, CBC Quebec, CTV News Montreal, CJAD 800, Global Montreal, and The Gazette.
