It\u2019s something a majority of Quebecers don\u2019t want yet demands to be hashed out thoroughly for voters to consider given the stakes.<\/p>\n
TVA saved sovereignty until its final segment on \u201cQuebec\u2019s future\u201d and Noovo hurriedly wedged it in about 75 minutes into a 90-minute matchup.<\/p>\n
Since St-Pierre Plamondon didn\u2019t bring up this key pledge up himself, it was up to his rivals to try to broach the existential subject when and where they could.<\/p>\n
Coalition Avenir Qu\u00e9bec leader and incumbent premier Christine Fr\u00e9chette made it her mission \u2014 including during a segment Wednesday where she was invited to face off against Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard about the cost of living.<\/p>\n
Fr\u00e9chette \u2014 not incorrectly \u2014 noted a referendum would create uncertainty that would undermine the economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know you\u2019re debating me,\u201d Milliard interjected.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Fr\u00e9chette pounced on St-Pierre Plamondon, pointing out his plans for a Quebec army, currency and space agency if the Yes side wins.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to say to Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon, return to Earth,\u201d Fr\u00e9chette wise-cracked. \u201cWhile he works on rockets, I will work on health. We will work full-time for Quebecers.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Milliard was finally invited into a one-on-one with the PQ leader, St-Pierre Plamondon went off on a tangent about how most Quebecers don\u2019t support the Liberal party any more than they back a referendum \u2014 before the moderator abruptly ended the back and forth.<\/p>\n
It was also up to Fr\u00e9chette\u2019s opponents to press her on her own ambiguous stance<\/a> over how she, a former P\u00e9quiste, would vote in the event of a referendum. She has been saying it doesn\u2019t matter, that she\u2019s an autonomist now, at the helm of a party that espouses a third way besides federalism or separatism.<\/p>\n Milliard tried in vain to get her to pick a side Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy can\u2019t you answer this question? It\u2019s disgraceful and beneath the station you seek,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n While Quebec\u2019s party leaders were safely contained in their election debate bubbles this week, potentially consequential matters were also playing out far from the glare of TV lights that could alter the trajectory of the 2026 election.<\/p>\n A Radio-Canada report revealed that the costs of another government information technology project<\/a>, this time in health care, has exploded in much the same way as the SAAQclic scandal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Originally budgeted at $96 million, the Syst\u00e8me d\u2019information des finances et de l\u2019approvisionnement (SIFA) could ring it at over $1 billion,<\/a> making it many orders of magnitude greater than the boondoggle at the Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 de l\u2019assurance automobile du Qu\u00e9bec that sparked a public inquiry.<\/p>\n Rather than being hidden from elected officials<\/a> like SAAQclic however, Radio-Canada said that Fr\u00e9chette\u2019s cabinet signed off on a $329-million expenditure<\/a> for the new procurement program in July \u2014 in spite of internal warnings from the deputy minister of Cybersecurity and Digitization as well as consulting firm KPMG.<\/p>\n Damaging though it may prove to be, this news broke at a fortuitous time for Fr\u00e9chette, when she was far from the cameras prepping for the two debates. And given the tight timelines and scripted formats, the brewing debacle didn\u2019t get a full airing while Quebecers were tuned in en masse.<\/p>\n It was over an hour into the 90-minute Noovo debate before Milliard tried to bring up SIFA during a section on health care.<\/p>\n \u201cThe money we need to care for people is there,\u201d Milliard said about the ballooning contract.<\/p>\n These were significant things voters heard just a little about during the fast-paced debates. <\/p>\n Then were things people didn\u2019t hear about at all, like Quebec Superior Court ordering Elections Qu\u00e9bec to send bilingual<\/a> reminder cards in its next mailing.<\/p>\n Justice Sylvain Lussier on Wednesday found merit in a court challenge <\/a>that argued issuing information about the election only in French could infringe on the democratic rights<\/a> of anglophone voters, particularly seniors.<\/p>\n Elections Qu\u00e9bec had sought approval to send the flyers in both languages but was rebuffed by the government looking to enforce Bill 96.<\/p>\n Fr\u00e9chette denied<\/a> anyone\u2019s rights were being compromised by the exclusively French communications. But the court has now ruled otherwise.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a victory for the rights of English-speaking Quebecers to be sure \u2014 but it underscores how the anglophone community has to fight, speak out, or go to court for the most basic recognition and respect from the government.<\/p>\n Not surprisingly, this growing disenfranchisement didn\u2019t come up at all during the two televised jousting matches.<\/p>\n The only person who even namechecked anglophones either night was Qu\u00e9bec solidaire leader Ruba Ghazal, when she said English speakers are among those who must be rallied to the cause of sovereignty before any referendum should be held.<\/p>\n For anyone keeping score, there are three debates in French and zero in English during this campaign, showing who does and doesn\u2019t count in Quebec politics.<\/p>\n At their best, televised debates are an important component of democracy and can help voters make up their minds. They can even turn the tides of elections on occasion.<\/p>\n At their worst, debates can turn into spectacles that gloss over crucial issues. With clocks ticking, hop-scotching between topics, hosts cutting off discussion, and heavily coached party leaders regurgitating rehearsed lines, there seems to be less and less opportunity for meaningful exchange.<\/p>\n And with three debates in French and none in English, the questions and answers are getting repetitive, while the concerns of anglophones and other communities who would like to feel that they belong to the Quebec nation are being largely forgotten.<\/p>\n Party leaders will reconvene for Round 3 next Wednesday at Maison Radio-Canada. But will anything change?<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n
![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789670534_696_hanes_allison_0000_720.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n