Quebec election commentary - August 13, 2012

Harold Simpkins, a senior lecturer in the Department of Marketing in the John Molson School of Business, comments on the effectiveness of various political ads on CBC Montreal and Yahoo News. Simpkins was also on CBC Montreal Radio News on August 10 and August 11 to discuss this topic.

Lea Prevel Katsanis, was on CTV Montreal News at 6 on August 10 to discuss political parties’ campaign messages.

Peter Gossage, a professor in the Department of History, thinks that people in other Canadian provinces are interested in the results of the current Quebec election because a Parti Québécois win would bring the renewed prospect of another referendum: The National Post, Canada.com, The Vancouver Sun and The Ottawa Citizen.

The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) is the most right-wing party running in the provincial election, but “conservatives in the U.S., or the rest of Canada, would have trouble recognizing themselves in the policies that the CAQ has put on the table” according to Harold Chorney, a professor in the Department of Political Science. Coverage appears in The Huffington Post, The National Post, Canada.com, The Estevan Mercury, Global Montreal and Tb News Watch. Chorney also appeared on Global Montreal News and commented on PQ leader Pauline Marois’ promise to beef up Bill 101, extending the bill’s eligibility rules to Cegeps, if her party forms the government.

Bruce Hicks, who teaches in the Department of Political Science, believes the Parti Québécois leader has been ‘playing it safe’ since the start of the election campaign. A piece published last week in the Montreal Gazette is reprised in The Ottawa Citizen.