Couillard may call Quebec's general election earlier than planned
Politicians could be hitting the campaign trail as early as Aug. 23
Premier Philippe Couillard is "seriously considering" calling the general election a few days earlier than planned so politicians can spend extra time on the campaign trail, Radio-Canada reports.
It was widely believed that Couillard would call the election on Aug. 29, sticking with the 33-day minimum.
However, Radio-Canada sources have confirmed that Couillard, leader of the Liberal Party, has not nailed down an exact date, but he could call the election as early as Aug. 23 or the weekend of Aug. 25 and 26.
By calling the election early, the Liberal party would force runner-up François Legault, leader of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), into the electoral area earlier than planned.
The hope, Radio-Canada reports, is that the longer campaign would create more opportunity for Legault to stumble as the CAQ leads in the polls.
On Tuesday morning, Legault welcomed the challenge in a tweet.
Des élections déclenchées plus tôt? Tant mieux! J’ai hâte de faire campagne avec ma formidable équipe, présenter nos idées aux Québécois et tourner la page sur 15 ans de gouvernement libéral. Quand vous voulez, M. Couillard.
—@francoislegaultLater, Jean-François Lisée, leader of the Parti québécois, added his thoughts via tweet, saying his team is ready to end the "dark years" under the Liberal Party on Oct. 1.
"More election campaign days?" Lisée wrote in French. "It will give us more time to present our credible solutions!"
Des jours de campagne électorale de plus? Ça nous laissera plus de temps pour présenter nos solutions crédibles!<br><br>Mon équipe et moi sommes prêts, nos militants sont mobilisés, notre organisation est rodée. Nous avons hâte de mettre fin aux années sombres du PLQ le 1er oct! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PolQc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PolQc</a>
—@JFLiseeWith files from Radio-Canada