Truth: Reform of the voting system is not just the business of a few intellectuals, as the CAQ leader says.

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During the show Five leaders, one election On Radio-Canada, outgoing Prime Minister François Legault spoke about a possible reform of the voting system in Quebec.

“There are no people fighting buses in Quebec to change the voting system. Right now, there are many other priorities […] So, in that sense, we decided to set it aside. We listen to the population and it does not interest the population. Except for a few intellectuals, a change in the voting system is of no interest to Quebecers,” he said Sunday.

The facts

It would be wrong to argue that almost no one would agree with the reform of the voting system for elections in Quebec. When questioned by journalists on Tuesday, Mr Legault said he based his comments on what he saw on the ground.

However, the latest data on the matter shows considerable interest from Quebecers. In 2019, a survey by the Léger Institute commissioned by the New Democracy Movement (MDN) found that a majority of people agreed with a reform for a proportional voting system to the contrary.

69% of the 2,506 respondents said they wanted Francois Legault’s government to keep its word and reform the voting system. There are also 60% of Quebecers who say they have a problem with the gap between the percentage of seats won and the percentage of votes.

Mr. Legault said Tuesday that with the pandemic, Quebecers’ priorities have changed and reform does not interest them. He gives as an example of priority “all the work to be done in the health network”.

“I know that Jean-Pierre Charbonneau is very interested, [président du MDN]But apart from Jean-Pierre Charbonneau, who cares?” asked Mr. Legault.

The proposed voting system would have added proportionality to the candidates sent to the National Assembly. There will be 80 constituencies with one deputy each, along with 45 deputies sent according to the party’s total vote percentage. The CAQ government introduced a bill to this effect, which was finally repealed in 2021.

-In collaboration with Marc-Andre Gagnon

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