With the provincial election campaign in full swing, Quebec politicians are ramping up their efforts as they hit the campaign trail on its 31st day. Advance polls are set to open this weekend on Sunday and Monday in preparation for the upcoming election on Oct. 5.
One of the key issues dominating the campaign discussions is the concern over potential foreign interference. Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette expressed her worries about American involvement in supporting the sovereigntist Parti Québécois with a goal to destabilize Canada. However, her opponents remained doubtful of these claims.
Fréchette highlighted essays published by a U.S.-based think tank encouraging American interference in Canadian politics, prompting her party to involve the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, which led to a meeting arranged last week. She also mentioned that American officials had approached her government earlier in the year for trade negotiations, but she firmly rejected the idea, stating that Quebec signing a direct agreement with the United States was out of the question.
On the other hand, PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon refuted the allegations, stating that his party had not been contacted by American officials and that he had not seen any evidence of interference. Federal Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand emphasized the importance of taking these allegations seriously, even though she had not seen any concrete proof of foreign interference in the election.
