The Current - In Quebec, old priorities take a backseat to Trump’s threats

Episode Date: April 16, 2025

Quebec is a crucial battleground in this election, with enough seats to give any party a decisive lead. But with U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats and tariffs roiling Canadian politics, some Quebecers only seem sure of what they’re voting against, not for. As part of The Current’s election series, Crossroads: Coast to Coast with Canadian Voters, Matt Galloway went to Quebec City to talk to voters about the decision they have to make.

I've been covering politics for 20 years and I can't remember a time like now when everything we thought we knew has been thrown in the air. From Trudeau's resignation to Trump's tariffs to a spring election during huge shifts in the polls. There's a lot at stake and power and politics is here to guide you through it. I'm David Cochran and on CBC's only political

daily I speak to the key players in this election. From the candidates to the analysts to the journalists on the campaign trail, you can find power and politics wherever you get your podcasts, including YouTube. This is a CBC Podcast. You guys like to try maple taffy? Beautiful. How many would you like? You guys like to try maple taffy? Yes.

Beautiful. How many would you like? It is a beautiful spring day. James Almond is standing at a long table piled with snow and he's serving maple taffy. It's hot syrup, put the stick in. You can play with it on the snow. So we roll it and we pull it. That means tear.

Choose the one you like. The bigger, the smallest. Don't be shy. It's really good. Bon degustation. we pull it that means it's here. Choose the one you like the biggest the smallest Don't be shy. James is co-owner of La Petite Cabane Asucre de Québec. This shop brings a little bit of the sugar shack experience from their maple farm into the heart of old Quebec City. This sugar shack is a staple that everybody is doing annually and what I mean every kid in Quebec is eating these

candies each spring so it's like you can't come all this way and not try. It's like a scene from a postcard here. Cobblestone streets, centuries-old stone buildings, sloped roofs, the St. Lawrence River just below and up some really steep stairs the landmark Chateau Frontenac and this music is blaring from a shop speakers. I'm here in Quebec on our cross-country road trip talking to people about the election. It's something that James actually hasn't had

a lot of time to think about. When it comes this spring, it's just wake up, maple, maple, maple, maple. You go to bed when you wake up in the morning, you rush back to the cabin, start your fire, start boiling your maple. That doesn't mean that he's not paying attention to politics though. The U.S. tariffs are forcing his business to abandon plans to sell their maple products

to the United States on Amazon. We are going to branch out for the U.K. But for the tariffs, unfortunately, we won't be doing what we planned on doing. Taking on Trump would be a top election issue for James, but he's not yet sure who can deliver. There's a lot of fake promises. That's why I find that when it comes to elections, it's very tricky. There are under two weeks left to hear the promises and make a choice. The French language leaders debate is tonight, the English one tomorrow, and Quebec is a

crucial battleground in this election. The province has 78 seats, enough to give any party a decisive lead, and its capital region is politically diverse. Liberals, Bloc and Conservatives all have a presence here. I'm Matt Galloway and I'm here in Quebec City and this is The Current, on the road with our election series, Crossroads, Coast to Coast with Canadian voters. This is the Grand Marché de Québec. It's a cathedral-like building and dozens of Quebec farmers and artisans have stalls here. If you want to buy Quebec, this is the place

you want to be. The tote bags kind of sum it all up. I am obsessed with local. They're blending smoothies, selling wines, beers and ciders, fancy mustards, flavored oils, baguettes, pâtés, foie gras, tartes sucrées. You want to come here hungry, trust me. I head straight to the Laiterie Charlevoix looking for Amélie Tendlant. She has won the title of best cheese monger in Canada. Hey, nice to meet you. How are you? I'm good, I'm good. Congratulations, you're the champion. Yes, thank you. How does one become the champion?

I made a contest. There are like four tests, like a cheese pairing, blind testing, and make like a huge cheese plate, and I did all those tests and I won. You're very casual about saying you won. I'm casual now but I wasn't at that time. I was like crazy happy. You're screaming and yelling and cheering and feeling great about yourself? Yeah yeah of course. Now I'm gonna go on September on the bigger contest in France called Mondiale du Tramage with the person from all around the world. The Olympics. This is the Olympics of cheese. You'll be representing Canada.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm gonna try to do my best. How do you train for something like this? Do you eat a lot of cheese? Yeah, I mean, not by weight, but I have to taste a lot of cheeses, especially for the blind testing. So they're going to have like five cheeses, very small pieces. And I have to find what it is. What do you love about them? I mean, cheeses are kind of, there's something remarkable about them. They're almost living.

Yeah, for me, you know, it's a treasure. You know, it's a treasure. It's history. You eat history. You know, it's great too because it helps like the economy of small towns. And it tastes so good. So yummy. So what's good today?

If we go in the cheese from Quebec, I have a cheese from Lettrie-Charlevoix that I like a lot. It's a Hercul de Charlevoix, but aged two years old. So it's a Gruyere type, you know, it's just very fruity and nutty. It has a nice crunchy texture. My mouth is watering. It's crazy. What is so great about cheese from this province?

They are so good. And like maybe 30 years ago, it was like cheddar, oca, but right now we have very nice fine cheese and they are made with love. They are popping in every village. It's a real point of pride in this province and people want to protect the cheese industry. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, they are so proud. That's very fun. You smile when you say it. Yeah, yeah, especially right now, you know, with the political context in the country, people say, I want cheese from Quebec or from Canada. There's this whole buy Canadian thing. Are people buying more, more Quebec cheese, more Canadian cheese? Not only cheese. You know, it's buy local, buy Canada. Right now, we see it a lot and we are, I mean in the

market we are really happy because it's good for us. I just hope it's gonna last. Can I ask you, you talked about the political context, can I ask you about that? Yeah, yeah. I mean coming in here I just like literally came in you see all the election signs up. Yeah, yeah. What are people talking about here? What's what's what's the flavor of the politics right now? It's Trump. It's Trump? Yeah, I mean, I think it's more like an election about him than about liberal or conservative

or Bloc Québécois. Right now, I think people are more concerned about what is going to happen with Canada. So I think they're gonna choose the the guy who is more likely to protect them. Do you know who you're gonna vote for yet? I won't vote for somebody I will vote against. That's for me you know the conservative party is not very not my my cup of tea so So I'm gonna see here who is a more likely to win against the conservative ban. It won't be my heart for now. It's a crazy time anyway. Yeah it's just interesting because we've been talking to people all across the country and there's that that kind of rally around the flag thing and you're seeing it here in Quebec as well. Yeah, even in Quebec. People feel proud to be Canadian here.

Yeah, that's the... Are you surprised by that? Are you surprised by that? I'm not, because, you know, we were like attacked. So when you're attacked, you say, hey, whoa, no. And we are not American. Canada, I used to live in Calgary. It's not like the States.

We are Canadian, so I think it's just a normal and a good thing. Even in Quebec. So that's big. We're standing here talking and I can just smell cheese. It's killing me. Can we try? Do you mind if we try some? Yeah, we'll make you try the Hercule de Charlevoix.

Great. Thank you very much. I'd like to have a little bit of charlevois. Great, thank you very much. There are a lot of shoppers here at the marché, and a few don't actually mind stopping to talk about politics. I'm simple. I look at what's going on politically, and I vote for the Conservatives. It's in my roots. He likes what Pierre-Paul Léves is offering.

This couple prefers carnie. A real French Canadian. Canadian, yeah. 100% Never block Quebecois. Never. Paulienne. I don't like the face of Paulienne. It is all the time in the TV. Another couple is undecided. Conservateur, peut-être, Mila. Monsieur Carnif, mon coeur balance entre les deux.

Le bloc, peut-être. Votez pas bloc. Parce que lui a pas d'affaires là. She doesn't think the bloloc belongs in a federal election. He likes the idea of someone standing up for the French language and for this province. Others are waiting to see the debates before they make a final decision. We'll see. What I look in a candidate would be more putting Canada and Quebec together instead of trying to separate each other all the time.

Welcome to Quebec City. Still waiting to see what's going to happen, but there are issues for us here locally. The tramway, I think it's what polarizes the most. Ah, the tramway, the most polarizing local issue. If it weren't for Trump, I am told that this would come up in every conversation about politics. It is a contentious debate over a new public transit project. We'll come back to that issue a little bit later on. We have one more food stop. We're in the lively Saint-Roch neighborhood where François runs his gourmet grocery store.

It is well stocked with goodies, particularly a large assortment of chips. The Quebec's chips, I got to show you where they are and ooh! The most Quebec chips you can find is this one here, it's called Miet. So all the ingredients are made in Quebec, it's from a farm and they are flavored with sumac grown in Quebec. It's from a farm. They are flavored with sumac grown in Quebec. They have their own jalapeno. So they're also called chips. He would rather talk about chips,

but this election is on his mind too. Usually I'm more a guy of NPD, NDP. I never say it is in English. This is my first time. And here in Quebec, there's a lot lot of conservative if you go to the suburb So if the left in the center left divided, I think is going to be a place for the conservatives So I think you have to choose between liberal and conservative. That's not my personal opinion So when I was young is was the referendum of 1980 1985

There's there's a lot of of difference between separatists and federalists. So to talk back again of sovereignty is just making me smile a little bit, but it's a difference of sovereignty for us. We speak French and we are very proud of it because if you travel a little bit around the world, a lot of people, a lot of us, minorities lost their language. Quebec is a place you can have fun. I think people of Quebec just want to have fun. Yes, we want rule but we don't want the rule to be applied. You always talk about your neighbour but you don't want your neighbour talk about you. But it just, I think it's live and let live. Many Canadians imagine Quebec City as a place

with joie de vivre, spectacular food and a sense of history. And that's all true, but it's also increasingly a high-tech hub. That may sound like a basic table saw, and kind of looks like one too, but it's actually a high-tech precision instrument. And what's being cut is a tube of glass used to make fiber optic cables. So my name is Alain Chandonnet, I'm the CEO of ENO, which stands for Institute National d'Optique here in Quebec City. Our specialty is photonics. So photonics is really the science of light. It's amazing how many things you can do with light.

Here you have an example of the camera that's gonna go into the satellites to detect forest fire in a very precise way. So these camera will be very sensitive to infrared light, but also very high resolution. So you can see tiny, tiny forest fire, right at the onset of the fire, and can intervene much faster

before it becomes a full blown disaster. Eno is a non-profit organization with a mission to bridge the gap between academia and industry. It's a lab, it's a manufacturer, and an incubator as well for startups. This model is common in Europe and parts of Asia. It's known as an RTO, Research and Technology Organization, and Alain believes it's an approach that Canada needs more of.

I think the overall big realization in the last few months is that we need to fix things in our economy to generate more value for Canadians and that requires higher performance, higher productivity for our companies. To achieve that you need to deploy new technologies. There's no way around and you need institutions like E, to play that role of helping build and scale up Canadian companies to a size where they can play a meaningful role on the worldwide stage. Even as Quebec City contemplates a high-tech future, one of the keys to this city's economy is still the port, which for centuries has been a crucial stop on the St. Lawrence River. The maritime aspect of the city really is apparent as you're here.

I mean, all along the St. Lawrence, you've got the communities that are, I would go as far as saying, dependent on the St. Lawrence. That's Vince Gianopoulos of the Seafarers International Union of Canada. It represents ship workers. Obviously, there are a lot of reckless policies coming from the administration down south. One of them is a proposed fee on Chinese-built ships. And it's important to note that this is not related to the flag of the vessel, but where the ship was built. These fees or these port levies would potentially have a major impact on trade and specifically on Canadian ships, Canadian workers, as well as workers on the American side.

It's a chilly morning with occasional splashes of light rain when I meet Saoul Palo. He's a former Liberal member of Quebec's National Assembly. He now serves as Executive Director of the St. Lawrence Ship Operators Association. Many Canadians and Quebecers don't realize that 80% of the goods we have at home actually travel through our different shareholders and share properties. The marine industry is an essential part of the Canadian economy and the whole supply chain as well. We have been traveling across the country talking to people about what Trump has done to this election. What has he done to your business? Like many other industries... There's a big sigh before you answer that question. to people about what Trump has done to this election. What has he done to your business? Like many other industries.

There's a big sigh before you answer that question. Like many other industries, it has created a lot of instability. The potential measures of the port fees that would have a huge and enormous impact. These are the fees, as I get this right, this is a million and a half dollar fee that they want to put on Chinese built vessels that dock in US ports? Exactly. And they could go up to about three million dollars and it would have a direct impact not just on the bottom line of the companies but also on jobs, Canadian jobs, and ultimately

the cost of goods that also Canadians pay. What would that mean? I'd read somewhere that this could increase costs by upwards of a thousand percent. Yes, of course, because depending on what's being transported, you can go from 300 to a thousand percent. Dumb question, but are there a lot of Chinese-built vessels? Look, today we're talking close to 70 percent of all the commercial ships that are being built in China. Seventy percent. Seventy percent. Which would be affected by...

Of course. And just in Canada, it represents 45% of the Canadian fleet. So if you say that much of what we rely on comes through a port like this, is shipped around the world, the majority of those ships are Chinese built. This is going to impact the price of things perhaps that we purchase every day. We estimate that it could have a direct impact of 20 to 30% of increase in the cost of goods that are being consumed by Canadians. This is a busy port. I mean there's things that are driving around. There's all sorts of activity going on. Is there one party that you're supporting in this? We don't do politics. We actually...

Politics will do you though. I mean it will impact you. Of course, we don't do politics. We support any political party that will have the best interests of our industry on behalf of the Canadians as well. Thank you very much. Thank you. Have a good day. Joining me now is Frédéric Bovère. He's president and CEO of the Quebec City Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

So when you speak with your members, I mean, in this tumultuous time, what do your members tell you about what wakes them up in the middle of the night? Listen, I'm not going to try to understate what's going on. There's a huge level of anguish right now, because on the manufacturing side of things, actually, we export close to 70% of our production in the US. So it has a significant effect. Let me ask you about the two people who are the front runners in this campaign. You were an advisor and passed to Stephen Harper, former prime minister.

He made the area around Quebec City a real stronghold for the Conservative Party. How do you think the current Conservative leader Pierre Pauli of compares? So I believe he's in the continuity of Harper actually, because if you look at the, it's an interesting question because it will be next year, the 20th year that Conservative are holding writings in the Quebec City region. So yeah, that's that's quite a landmark. I mean, I don't notice huge changes. It's a continuation, I believe. Why do you think, I mean, the polls suggest that he has

failed to connect with many Quebecers. Why do you think that is? Actually, you know, because the conservative vote in Quebec is not spread out. So it's concentrated. So for example in Quebec City region nothing has changed actually and what I like about the Quebec City region it's because it's diversified in terms of its political support. We also have the writing of Minister Duclos in Quebec City Center. We also have Joël Lightba which is in the west end part of Quebec City. So you know it makes it

for a diversified but vibrant also political class which is helpful for us. I mean what's interesting though is the former mayor of Quebec City has said that that conservative stronghold could be at risk. That there could be in his words a red wave that sweeps through this area. What does that tell you? Yeah you know. You don't sound convinced. Yeah because being on the ground because I'm I'm literally visiting a lot of companies I think the strongholds at the conservative hold in the Quebec City region will will maintain

I don't see them turning red but to be honest the one thing that I find it interesting right now is the Center of gravity for the federal politics and have a shifted and we notice that has shifted from the left to the center of gravity for the federal politics and have shifted. And we noticed that has shifted from the left to the center and center-right. So Mr. Carney's got a... it seems that Mr. Carney would have taken an entire chapter of the conservative playbook in terms of managing the economy. So to me as a Canadian, fiscally responsible Canadian, I find it interesting because we really need to get our finances sorted out because the budget is exploding, the death is going sky

high, and we need to bring back fiscal sanity. Do you understand the appeal of Mark Carney? We've been speaking with a lot of people here and they have said they're looking for steady hands in this really difficult time. And the polls suggest that Mark Carney is being seen as having those steady hands. Do you understand that appeal? Yeah, I do because I met with Mark Carney myself with a bunch of significant business leaders in Quebec City.

Before he was elected as the leader of the Liberal Party. He knows what he's talking about. He's got a significant experience. So for sure, people can see it, people can hear it. That's for sure. There's a current effect, that's for sure. But I don't think that's gonna have an impact on the conservative stronghold in Quebec City.

It's just gonna allow the Liberal MPs to preserve their seats. Because before he jumped in on the federal scene, some of these liberal writings were at risk. Now I believe they'll be reelected. What do you think for Quebec City? What is at stake in this election? It's Quebec City, but Quebec City being part of Canada, it's nothing about the liberal,

it's nothing about the conservative, but we have been asleep at the switch for at least a generation and more being just close by an immense empire. And now that empire, I mean, has shown some sign that they want us to wake up and go on our own way, on our own path. And I believe that the Laurier, very significant phrase that was that the 20th century would be Canada century I believe that the 21st century will be Canada century thanks to that seismic event that took place with the reelection of President Trump I believe that we're gonna harness a significant amount of ambition on the world stage will reveal ourself in ways that we never could have imagined because right now we've been seized by the truth and we are gonna wake up

and we are gonna unleash our potential. That's how I feel about it. Frederick Boisvert, I really appreciate speaking with you. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. Bye-bye. That's Frederic Boisvert, president and CEO of the Quebec City Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Well, coming up after your CBC News, more from Quebec City, including three voters talking with each other to discuss what matters to them in this election, who they're voting for, and why.

I'm Matt Galloway, in Quebec City, you're listening to a special edition of The Current. We're back in six minutes. Now you hear the starting bell. Just like in school. CBC Radio-Canada, who follows me everywhere now. We say hello to the CBC Radio-Canada audience. Hello CBC, thanks for joining in. Well thank you Guy, I'm Matt Galloway. You're listening to The Current from Quebec City. This is week four of the federal election campaign,

the fourth stop in our election road trip across this country, talking to voters about who they're voting for and why. This is Trivia Night, and La Revanche. Keep that, the beautiful class. I don't want people to answer the questions on the spot. Oh, I know it. It's too easy. I wanted to think about it. I wanted to just reflect on it for a second. Oh, I know that. It's just, what is it? Oh yeah, that's it. That's a good kind of question.

We're still playing the way a table or TV game is played, and even internet games tonight. Well, yes. Why not? We have a question called the Bourse d'Etude in French, which is the scholarship question. It's a very, very hard question, but few people get it every week. One time we asked how many rivets were there on the Eiffel Tower. Yeah, that's the kind of question we may ask. Someone got it. Yes. Guy Langlois hosts this quiz night every Monday night, and he is also ready to vote.

I'd say I'm more of a sovereignist, so I'll probably vote Bloc Québécois because our culture has to be protected. We have to make sure French is still the main language here. I'm not a sovereignist against anglophones or against Canada. I don't hate Canada. I love Canada. I think it's a great country and it's just that there's something about Quebec. I think that will be better for us to be a separate country. This event attracts people who like to answer tough questions but the toughest be, who are you voting for? I'm still undecided.

I usually vote A, B, C. I'd vote green. But I'm not too sure I relate to Mr. Carney. I think he's a man of the banks. So I'm a bit puzzled. You know, in Quebec we're a bit stuck between preventing the worst and voting as our heart feels. I'm a scientist and I'm aware that climate change is not a hoax and it's just going to be worse if we wait before we tackle it. On the other hand, we have a party who wants actually one and a half party who want to

drill baby drill. I'm not too sure what to do, if I should prevent the worst or if I should follow my heart. It's not a good election because I will not vote for what I want, but for what I do not want. Normally I'm like a more drug-medicine person or Bloc Québécois but now I really don't hope that that guy Pierre Poliev is gonna win so I'll have to vote maybe for the Liberals but I never did that in my whole life. It's hard! Who are you voting for is the question I'm asking my next three guests as well.

Jean-Alex Martin works in automotive sales, he's voting conservative. Gail Turner worked for many years in public health, she now consults, she's voting liberal. And Sébastien Paquette is a student in industrial relations at Laval University. He's voting for the Bloc Québécois and they are all with us here in our Quebec studio. Thank you for being here. It's a pleasure. It's a pleasure, thank you. I want to go around the table and we'll get into the specifics but just briefly just talk about the main reason for your decision as to why you are voting the way you are. Sebastian, we'll start with you. Of course. It's mainly about history, but it's also

about promises. And looking at the situation right now with the tariff war and Trump and all that, the only thing I can see is that the two main party, the conservative and the liberal one, are always doing some promises to the Quebecers, but in sort of way of a folkloric characteristic of the Quebecois nation. We've got the two candidates on Tout le monde en parle in the last days, and both of them were like trying to seem Quebecois in some sort, but they're not promising anything for our nation. And I'm an independentist, I'm a separatist. I want the freedom of my nation, the self-declaration of itself. And while I see those big parties sort of managing a persona of Quebec, I find myself like a costume, not a real people, you know?

Jean-Alex, why are you thinking the Conservative Party is the best party for this moment? For me, it's the economical part. I don't think that we went in a good direction with the past 10 year in Trudeau. We had inflation We had a lot of issue So I want the best economy for my family and for all the Canadian to have the brighter future possible in Canada And I think that the Pierre Paul you have in the Conservative Party right now have the better platform And when we see the tariff war that is with the US right now better platform. And when we see the tariff war that is with the US right now, people are like looking for who's the best Captain Canada. But I think that the ballot question

should be which party will provide us the best economy to ensure that Canadians maintain a good quality of life, even if we do less trade with the US. And I think that's the conservative platform by far who's delivering the best result. Gail, what about for you? Why are you voting Liberal? I think we're in a different place than we've ever been, and I hope we're never here again. There's so much at stake for our country. And I'm voting much more as a Canadian and thinking of a whole of Canada than I am for

a specific region. I think a change of leadership for me was the biggest factor in continuing to vote for Liberal. And I think to say we're not voting Liberal because we want a change, I think it takes away from what Mark Carney could bring. He's got an incredibly solid background in finance, and I think right now he is the person who can lead us into a better future for Canada. What do you think of Pierre Polyaf? I like some of what he says. What do you like about what he says? I liked when he said, when he proposed changing taxing for seniors to give us a higher ceiling.

It's something I've wanted personally for a lot of years. But then he says something else that I think, oh no, I can't. I don't agree with the three strike. S1C1 Criminal justice reform. S1C1 I've heard him make some less than complimentary remarks about First Nations, and that troubled me. And I wasn't crazy about what he said when he went to Nunavut, and he talked about

building a base. And I thought, no, no, no, no, you don't say that. You say you're going to enter in consultation with the Inuit, together you'll explore whether or not this should happen. So, Sebastian, what do you make of Pierre Poliev? Carney, Poliev, Harper, Trudeau, all those sort of bilingual Anglophones running Canada. I see it as a leader of a foreign country. A leader of a foreign country? Yeah. Canada is not seemingly a part of my whole identity.

It's like a force identity. Canada, right now, Karne and Paulyev both know that Trump said, Quebec's language and linguistic laws will be an obstacle for business, for the tariff war. And Karne actually said he's gonna fight in courts our linguistic laws. I see it as a sort of mini Trump sort of reacting to the bigger Trump. The reaction of we are struggling with national unity so we should throw Quebec under the bus, I see it as a sort of pattern in history.

You think that's what will happen is that Quebec will be thrown under the bus? People will do any promises they can make and seem happy and gentle. Jean-Alex, for you, as somebody who's voting conservative, the polls suggest that Pierre Poliev is not connecting with a lot of voters here in Quebec. What do you think that's about? That's a good question. I think that a lot of people that were expecting to vote for Poliev went into Carney because of the tariff wars. Let's admit that people were disappointed by what Trudeau did and they

feel that Carney will be different. But if you read Carney's book, it's basically what the liberal program was under Justin Trudeau. Carney wanted a higher carbon tax. It was never enough. He has a net zero obsession and stuff like that. Are you a fan of Pierre Pauliev? I have really respect for Pierre Pauliev. You can say I'm a fan. I think he did a really, really good job since he went to the leadership race. Everything he proposed, it's really to have a stronger economy. When you check the last 10 years of the Liberals, Canada became poorer.

We had nearly like no GDP growth in 10 years. If you adjust it to the growth of the population, we're not going in the right direction. So I think we need a change. I think that Pierre Poilier understands that. I think that's what he proposed. It's to correct that, to make sure that Canadians stay wealthy. Do you hear any of that, Gayle, and agree with it? One of the things that Jean-Alex is saying is that it doesn't matter whether you change

the leader or not, the party and the platforms of the party are still the same. Is that fair? I agree to some extent. I mean, I was thinking conservative because I thought we really have to have somebody who's going to help us get the Canadian economy back, and that's both cutting back on our huge deficit and also stimulating the economy. But you've said this is a different moment in some ways. This is a different moment, and it's a different moment because of what Carney brings himself as an economist. I wasn't sure when he was first voted in. I thought, you know, he can do the

economic piece, but can he lead? Can he engage the people of Canada? Do you think he can engage the people, not that it's separate, but can he engage the people of Quebec? He was, I mean, Sebastian mentioned this on Toulmin-Oparré going on and there were questions around not just language, but whether he understood the people of Quebec. He was, I mean, Sebastian mentioned this on Toulmin-en-Lapar going on, and there were questions around not just language, but whether he understood the culture of this province. Do you think he does? Dr. Elizabeth F. Kennedy-I've thought about that. I thought about both issues, both the culture and the language. And as someone who lives in Quebec City and is not bilingual, but you can learn the language and you can learn the culture. And I think we need to

look at what's more important in a leader right now in this very critical time when we're facing threats to sovereignty, when we're facing threats to everything that we hold dear. Sebastian had a smile on his face. I mean, does it matter to you if a leader not just speaks the language, but understands the culture? The culture aspect of Quebec is basically the bare minimum. It's accessible, it's manageable, it's understandable, and we're not that exotic. We still have roots from European descendants.

We have a whole history of juristic laws that are different and all, but you get in the culture, you understand how people live. It's about an attitude, it's a comport... it's a comportment... no, that's not a word in English. But honestly, when I look at leaders, like, Poirier, honestly, is kind of able to play the act of, I know the culture. I guess it's better than Carney that doesn't even understand what he's doing. He's eating a poutine, he's wearing a belt and honestly while I look at all of this I'm sort of criticizing if they are putting a good act or not. So the culture it's the bare minimum. You can visit Quebec for a week and understand the culture in itself. So Alex does it matter to you if the leader, whoever it is, whether it's, we're just talking

about Marc Carney and Pierre Poliev at this moment, that they understand not just the language, but culture? That's an important thing. If you check with Pierre Poliev, he has a French name, he has one French parent, he speaks French, his children are speaking French, his girlfriend is from Montreal that speaks French. But when you see a guy like Carney that really don't understand and like he said that he's trying to take a picture of eating a poutine and say, hey, I'm Quebec West, like, no, it's not like that. The polls would suggest that support for the Bloc is down and support, Sebastian, for separatism

is down at least at this very moment in Quebec. There has been, and we've seen this across the country, we've been traveling across the country, they're kind of rallying around the flag, around the Canadian flag. You're seeing that play out here in Quebec as well. What does that tell you? Honestly, it might sounds like a political analysis, but since the second referendum of 1995, the independence movement sort of stagnated. The youth movement is gonna uphold this independence movement. The old guard, like

I could say, are getting old and they got the resources but they don't got the energy right now to move it. You think younger people in this province are more aligned with the separatist movement. What's at the heart of that? What would separatism allow you? What would it give you? It would get us a nation, a national identity, but furthermore, it would give us a real purpose as a people. Stop being a sort of particularity in the East region of Canada.

We need to get rid of that piece of history that forced us into a system that we don't like. We've got a lot of intervention, social intervention here. We've got health security. We've got a lot of national insurance. We've nationalized our hydroelectricity, our energy. And we live better with those politics and those institutions. We need more of them. What do you make of the fact that this is coming up in Alberta as well? There is a grounds why we were just out there and speaking with people and they feel disrespected by the rest of the country and they're actually looking to people like you and saying, you

know what, maybe we could figure out some ties. It's not obviously the whole of the province, not even a majority of the province, but that that's a sentiment that's there. What do you think of that? There could be links, of course, but we got to watch out for opportunistic reasons for independence. Here in Quebec, we don't fight just to have better life and a better GDP. Like you said, I don't want to make fun of you, but it's not mainly about economics.

It's mainly about nation. We've been talking to people across the country and they've raised the issue, Jean-'s not mainly about economics. It's mainly about nation. We've been talking to people across the country and they've raised the issue, Jean-Alex, of national unity. How do you see that issue of national unity in the context of what Sebastian has talked about? For me, completely different. I feel good to be as Canadian even if I speak French. Sebastian said that it's more about the culture than the economy. But we have a 13 billion deficit in the province of Quebec. If you remove what 11, 12 billion of per equation that we got from Alberta, we will be 25 billion in deficit this year. So it's the fact that we get money from Alberta

that we can avoid those conversations about the economy. And I don't think that the Quebec government can do 11, 12, 13 billion deficit each year. We will have economic consequence if we continue like that. When we were in Alberta, one of the things we heard is people in the oil and gas sector saying this is a moment for what they call energy security and part of that is to build a pipeline, an east-west pipeline. Exactly. To do that would come through Quebec. Yeah. Do you think people in Quebec support a pipeline? Yeah, people do. They support a pipeline, an east-west pipeline. Exactly. To do that would come through Quebec. Yeah. Do you think people in Quebec support a pipeline? Yeah, people, they support a pipeline. Yes, you say yes.

Yes, and there's a lot of people think no. If you check... I'm not sure that everybody at the table agrees with you, but continue. If you check the pool and you ask the question, do you support that we exploit our own gas and the LGM, the natural gas? Because what? if you don't do it you do what you buy gas from Russia do you prefer to buy your gas from you Russia

or you prefer to buy it from Alberta Sebastian do you support a pipeline coming through Quebec if it's nationalized I guess it could be an idea but it's it's dirty money it's dirty energy we've got hydro electricity hydroelectricity, we've got solar, we've got wind. We also have, I mean, we're sitting here in a studio where there are cars driving up and down the road that are powered by gasoline. Yeah, of course, we need gasoline. I'm not saying that we can all go green right now, like those dealerships are going to sell EVs for 30,000 bucks. The main problem is when they're going to put a pipeline across our country, our province for 30,000 bucks. The main problem is when they're gonna put a pipeline across our country, our province for now, we'll get there, we'll get there. You're very

deliberate in saying that. It's not controlled by Canadian politics, it's controlled by a private firm. If there's something happening to it, it's a private sector responsibility. Do you think people would support a pipeline in this province? I think they would support discussions around a pipeline. I'm not sure they would discuss the pipeline per se. And I think it's really critical that the First Nations and the Inuit in Quebec would be part of that consultation because in the past, they've been the last to be consulted and projects have just gone ahead.

We're almost out of time. Let me just ask you both a couple of quick questions. One is the debates, the French language debates are happening tonight, the English language debates are happening tomorrow. What is one thing you'll be looking for in those debates? I'd like to hear a concrete plan on how housing can be improved. Concrete not just pie in the sky. I hope that Pierre Poilier will be positive.

Not that much attack on Carney, because unfortunately I think that Canadian, we're not American, you know, if you just do attack it goes bad. Sebastian, will you watch? I don't even know, because I think I'll be either way disappointed. When I look at Carney, I'm just disappointed. What I see right there is a banker, might be a cheater and doesn't even speak the two languages of the nation.

Pete We've been traveling across the country and kind of the idea is, you know, Canadian explaining themselves to each other. What do you want people outside of this province in what they say is the rest of Canada to understand about Quebec in 2025? Sebastian? Sebastian I've seen some people thinking that we think we are French. We're not French, we're Québécois. We are Franco descendants. We have the French language with our own characteristics. We are a part of Canadians and we are mainly Québécois.

Gail, what do you want people outside of this province to understand about Quebec in this moment? I think I agree a lot with what Sebastien has just said, that everything about Quebec that makes it different and special needs to be promoted. And I think the rest of Canada needs to understand that it's not an attack on the rest of Canada. It's wanting Canada to look at what Quebec is and can be. Jean-Alex, last word to you. It will be the oversight of Sebastian.

So yes, there's people that feel exactly like he said, but there's also people who feel that they are Canadian and that we have a common election. If you speak about how it was hard for people who want to rent an apartment and the price goes up, it's a common issue that no matter if you're a French Canadian or if you're in Toronto, you got the same issue. So for me, it's really about let's see the common issue we have and let's see what's the best solution that we can find together to solve those common issues. I'm really glad to have the chance to speak with all of you about a place that you love and to try to, as we said, explain it to the rest of this country.

Thank you very much for being here. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Merci. Merci, oui. Merci. I'm speaking with Jean-Alex Martin, Gail Turner and Sébastien Paquette.

You can feel the history when you walk around the streets of Old Quebec City. This city is 416 years old, but there is one consequential moment in its history that we actually don't hear a lot about. Did you know that Americans tried to invade Canada by storming Quebec in 1775? Here we are. Hi. David Mendel is an historian and a tour guide and we're meeting on Rue de la Barricade, where it all happened. So we are now at the base of the cliff which is called Capot Diamant, a natural fortress.

One of the first major events of the American Revolution was an attack on Canada. Two armies are sent north by George Washington to try to take Canada. One led by General Richard Montgomery. He's coming up the Richelieu River. Benedict Arnold's forces, later on the famous traitor to the American cause, but at this time very much a hero of the revolution, is coming up the Kennebec River from Maine. So this is where, imagine the American forces are coming through here and they come up to a barrier right there and the British are waiting for them below and in the

windows of these houses up here, Canadian militia firing down on them. But it's at this barrier where we're standing now that they're stopped. And if you look on the wall, we can see plaques commemorating this. Can you read that? Yeah, sure. I'll read it. It's written in English and in French. Here stood her old and new defenders uniting, guarding, saving Canada, defeating Arnold at the Soto-Metlo Barricade on the last day of the year, Canada, defeating Arnold at the Soto-Metlo barricade on the last day of the year, 1775, Guy Carlton commanding at Quebec. Now, I often show this to Americans when they're visiting and they find it quite fascinating because it's not really emphasized very much today when the history of the revolution is

taught partly because they lost, partly because Benedict Arnold was a hero perhaps. In any case, it was a very near thing for Canada. So Montreal had fallen, three rivers had fallen, only Quebec remained unconquered. So this is a crucial time in North American history. What was going to become Canada is turning in one direction and what's going to become the United States is turning in the other.

So when you stand here and you tell that story, in the context of Donald Trump stomping his feet and saying, we'll take you and you'll become the 51st state and we want what you have What goes through your mind? Well, that is not the first time that this has happened There was talk of the manifest destiny in the 19th century. We had the war of 1812 This is not the first time that this has happened But who would have expected that we would be facing this kind of an attitude from the United States today?

It's very interesting to see how Canadians are reacting. You're traveling across the country. I think people are realizing how much they have in common with one another and that includes Quebec. I've lived here since 1976 and I have never witnessed francophone Quebecers being so proud of Canada. How do you understand that? I mean people are watching this remote side of this province, trying to wrap their heads around it. How do you understand that?

I think it's very simple. When Quebecers, francophone Quebecers compare what we have in Canada in terms of freedom of speech, the protection of the French language, the laws and so on, and they compare that with what they think they might get under in an American regime and think about how, don't forget, huge numbers of Quebecers went down to New England and down to the United States in the 19th, early 20th centuries and pretty much all of them have been assimilated and only speak English today. How do you think that's going to shape how people act in this current election campaign?

At this point, it seems as though the Liberals are doing very well in this province. So far they are, and I think they are likely to continue to do so. Quebecers saw the attitude of Pierre Poilier-Breux for years, which is very sort of a tack-dog approach. Now he's arriving with a big, with a smile is and is toning it down but doesn't say the same things on Tout le monde en parle that he was on that he would say in a rally in Alberta for example and people are aware of that I think so we'll see but... Will it influence your vote? Well I've definitely decided I'm voting liberal and the issue of dealing with Trump is my first

priority but climate change, the housing crisis, reconciliation, none of those issues are going to go away. What I'm hoping is that we will find ways to work together and realize how much we have in common. It must be wild standing here just thinking about history doesn't repeat itself as they say, but it rhymes. Exactly. And that's, you can hear the rhymes in your head, I'm sure. Absolutely. Yeah, I can.

Yeah, so it's a fascinating time to be Canadian right now, that's for sure. Take the lessons from the historian. Thank you very much for meeting us here. Thank you very much. Coming up after the break, two long-time political journalists, Sébastien Beauvais and Valérie Godreau will discuss sovereignty, both kinds, whether French fluency really matters in a leader, and what the rest of this country needs to understand about Quebec. I'm Matt Galloway, I'm in Quebec City, and this is The Current. We're back in 90 seconds. Stay with us.

Have you ever finished a book and just needed to talk about it immediately, or wanted to know the wildest research an author has done for a book, or even what Book Talk books are actually worth your time. Hi, I'm Morgan book. Yes, that is actually my last name. And this is off the shelf my new podcast that covers everything related to books. Each Thursday, I chat with other bookworms and authors or sometimes it's just me rambling about my latest book obsession from book to screen updates to hot takes on

new releases. And of course, our monthly book club discussions I've got you covered. So get your TBR list ready and listen to Off the Shelf wherever you get your podcasts. Hello again, I'm Matt Galloway and this is The Current in Quebec City. We are continuing our Cross Canada road trip talking to Canadians about what matters to them in this election. Ladies and gentlemen, the captain and his crew wish to welcome you on board. This ferry runs across the Saint Lawrence between Quebec City and the

City of Lévis, just across the river on the south shore. There are two bridges linking the cities, but traffic is always congested during the commuter hours and what to do about this crossing has been the political hot potato for years. My name is Bruno Vero. I'm a communication counselor for the Societe des Traversiers du Quebec. We are presently on the Vassel Alphonse Desjardins. The ferry takes 12 minutes to cross downtown to downtown.

In my case, I live in the V, so the best alternative is to take the ferry so I don't have to make a lot of kilometers with my car and when you take the ferry you will have the best view on the Château Frontenac, a spectacular view on the old Quebec City and you change your mind when you are on the on the river. If you have a bad day at work, you are on the ferry after that and you're instantly really happy.

It's beautiful, it's like to go in a national park and see the better view of your life. It's a beautiful ride, but it is no replacement for an upgraded crossing. It's great, but if you compare with the bridge, it's really not the same capacities. So yes, it's a good alternative, but that will not change the game.

What will change the game? Well, that depends on who you ask. The city is divided. Either a tramway with a couple of lines, including one for transit across the river, or the so-called Third link, not quite defined yet, but some sort of new bridge, or even possibly a tunnel. Before Donald Trump changed everything, that was the top issue here.

Lise is riding the ferry to get to work. She used to take the bus, but now there's too much traffic on the bridge. She supports the third link, but it's not a deciding factor in her vote. Three months ago, she was fed up with the Liberal government and wanted change, but the stakes have actually changed now, and she has switched camps. Now she can't even remember what the issues were on her mind

before Donald Trump. That seems to be a common theme in this election. Things that normally would be priority issues are actually fading into the background. Last week, more than 100 municipal leaders signed an open letter to the five main party leaders calling on them to put a focus on climate change in this election. Alicia Depain signed that letter. She is a city councillor for Vanier-du-Bergé. Hello. Hi, good morning. I'm Matt. Alicia, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. Thank you very much. Hi. It's a pleasure. Thank you for being here in City Hall. I wanted to ask you about what we aren't talking about in this election.

It feels like the only thing, we've been traveling across the country, and it feels like the only thing people are talking about is Donald Trump. Yeah. How do you feel about that? It feels quite special as an election to have this single issue, Donald Trump and tariffs. And yeah, I feel like there are a lot of things that are very important that we're not talking about. Climate is one of them.

Climate is one of them. We've been speaking with people and they say they're very concerned about climate change. They think it's a pressing issue, an existential issue, but that it has to be pushed to the side. These are voters who are saying it has to be pushed to the side now because of the other big crises. What do you make of that? I can understand that. I think it's a logical response to everything that's happening right now. I also think that it's not one or the other. Tariffs and climate change are issues that are related and there are solutions

that we can put in place that respond to both issues. Tell me about the tramway. This is an issue that people outside of the city, perhaps outside of the province, don't fully understand, but it is an issue that has seized Quebec City. What is this about? I've been in office now for eight years, and we've been talking about it since I'm here.

So it's an issue that's been taking a lot of place, and it's not moving as fast as we'd hoped to. Quebec City is the only city with over 500,000 people that does not have a system like that. And we really need this tramway to make sure that people have a choice, that they can leave their car and go work with a very efficient and green mobility offer.

What would it mean for people here in Quebec City if the tramway were eventually to materialize? Well, the slogan is en route vers la modernité. So that's what we're aiming for, a city that's more modern, that ensures that people have the choice modernity so that's what we're aiming for a city that's more modern that that ensures that people have the choice when it comes to mobility and transport and it would mean a lot for the attraction of the city as well in an economic view so attracting workers attracting tourists who can better move around the

city. The federal conservatives have said and Pierre Polyef has said that they would cancel funding for the tramway. He said he wouldn't put one more penny, a single penny more into this project. How do you understand that? Yeah, it's very worrying for me to hear those promises. I don't really understand it because it's a local project that has the support of most of the other parties. I don't know, I think that the Conservative Party here in Quebec City

wants to differentiate itself from the party in power. Maybe that might be an answer to your question. What's the other option? Because what the Conservatives are supporting is the third link. What is the third link? The third link is a bridge between Quebec and Lévis. It's a project that's not as advanced as the tramway, but it's not the same. It's not a project that answers the same problem.

So the tramway is really a mobility transport, a green option. Unfortunately we're straying away from that right now. Is it frustrating for you that those issues are pushed off to the sidelines during this election? I mean, these are big, pressing, kind of hairy issues that the country should try to deal with, and we aren't talking about them. Yeah, it's quite frustrating.

So that's why I signed the letter. That's why I'm really happy to be part of this movement that's trying to bring back those issues bring back those national projects. The letter that you signed also calls for an end to subsidies for fossil fuel companies. There has been it feels like a change in this conversation around energy in the wake of Donald Trump. How do you see that change here in Quebec City? Here in Quebec City of course we're not, we're not like a producing city,

or that's not where our economy revolves around. You're a consuming city though. We're standing here on the road and there are cars and trucks that are driving around that rely on that gas. And we're calling for an electric grid, a national electric grid as well. And let's say we have a tramway, we would need that electricity

to run that big public transport system. For many people, that idea of energy independence is about oil and gas, and it's about building a pipeline. The Liberals and the Conservatives, to different degrees, are supporting the idea of a new national pipeline, an east to west pipeline, and of course, any east to west pipelines would have to come through Quebec. Do you think people in Quebec support a pipeline?

Yeah, that's not something I'm on board with. So I'm, of course I have like my generation's ideas. I'm 30 years old. So like this idea of like a more, how do you call that? More petrol, gas, that's hard to say. It is, oil and gas. More oil and gas. This idea of more oil and gas is not something that I connect with. What do you think is at stake in this election?

This is the question we've been asking people across the country. I've been working for the youth vote for a couple of years now and I really hope that young people will go out and vote, especially the ones that are voting for the first time. I think it's very important not to, not to sedly, not to abandon ourselves to cynicism. So I think that's on the line right now where we believe in our government or we don't. What about for the country? I mean it's interesting

because again people have been outside of Quebec perhaps surprised by the level of the you know embraced toward the Canadian flag and this idea of Canada in this moment. It's the kind of thing that you always take for granted. The Sun comes up in the morning and you have a country that's called Canada. And Quebec, of course, has some part of Quebec has wanted to break free from Canada for a couple of decades from now. But we've always taken Canada for granted. So it's a very weird feeling.

I hope it goes away and that we don't feel like that in the upcoming years. Thank you very much for talking to us. Well, it's a pleasure. Thank you so much. That's Alicia Depain. We were speaking outside of City Hall. She is a city councillor for Vanier du Berger. Well, to help further unpack this province's politics, I'm joined by two longtime journalists. I can't think of two better people to help explain the politics of Quebec to the rest of the country than my next two guests. Valerie Gaudreau is a political columnist for Le Soleil and she's with me in our Quebec City studio.

And Sébastien Beauvais is the National Assembly bureau chief for RADU Canada. He is in Montreal this morning and he's there, of course, because the leaders' debates are being held there tonight, en français, tomorrow, in English. Good morning to you both. Ah, good morning. Thanks for having English. Good morning to you both. Good morning. Thanks for having me. Good morning. Thank you for having us.

Sebastian, there has been late breaking news when it comes to these debates, and it's not just changing the time because of a Montreal Canadiens game. The Greens are out. The Greens are out because they didn't meet the criteria that the debate commission handed out to parties. Actually, there are three. You have to have a member of Parliament, which the Greens do. You have to be at least 4% in polls, which the Greens don't. And the third criteria, which was the one that's been disputed,

is you have to have 309 candidates in the writings, in the 343 writings, and the Greens don't. They submitted a list of at least 309 candidates that were endorsed by the party, but were not endorsed by Elections Canada, and so it was a bit of a miscue there by the Greens, so they're out as we speak this morning. And it comes 12 hours before the debate, it's very late. Late breaking news as we say here on The Current. Valerie, how important, I mean, clearly changing the time so that people can watch a debate and a hockey game says something, but how important is this debate for voters here in Quebec? Yeah, well, the French language will be an issue because

we'll absolutely look at Mark Cardney's French. Maybe he needs to be more known about, you know, for people, because we've seen him mostly as a prime minister, you know. We always say he's taking off, is like from a moment as prime minister, after this he's the candidate. Taking off the cloak of the prime minister. Yeah, exactly. So we'll look at Mark Carney,

we'll see about the Quebec issues, French language, there will be a point on immigration, also everything that has to do with identity. You know about these bill 96, about the French protection of French in the public space, we know Mr. Carney said he would eventually would be able to dispute it in court. The other said no. So maybe we'll try to look at Quebec issues, Quebec points where they could basically talk to Quebec people and I'm sure it's always very different. We always say sometimes the candidate says something in French and he doesn't say the same thing in English. So now that's the moment before the

game, before the hockey game to listen to them. I want to come back to the language piece in a moment and the culture piece that's attached to that. Sebastien, for you, what do you think, what are you going to be watching for in tonight's leaders debate? I think it's a challenge for Mark Carney. We don't know him very well. We know he's a banker. We know that he thinks that he can do job in front of Donald Trump, but is he really a Prime Minister? Pierre Poilier has been grooming for that job for the past 20 years, so we know him. We know Jacques Mitzing, we know Yves-François Blanchet of the Bloc Québécois as well, but we don't know Mark Carney.

So he might have a good curriculum vitae, a good resume, but what does he have to offer to Quebecers and to Canadians as a politician and does he have what it takes to be a politician? So I think that's what I'm going to watch tonight. He has been showcasing himself on a couple of different programs. One you were involved in, the Saint-Chef interview, and also Toulaman au Parle, in which he and Pierre Pauliev kind of presented themselves to the audience here in Quebec. Sebastien, how do you think he did on those programs?

Mark Carney? He did pretty well. We worked very hard for five chefs and one election. A chef is a leader. It's not someone who works in the kitchen, right? It could also be an interesting program, but perhaps in a different context. That's not someone who works in the kitchen, right? It could also be an interesting program, but perhaps in a different context. That's right. But he did fairly good. What we wanted to know, and what Tout le Monde en parle wanted to know, is what he knows about Quebec. Because the thinking

is that he doesn't have a Quebec sensitivity towards what we are as a nation. And we, both Tout le Monde en parle and us, we asked him the question what do you know about Quebec? What does Quebec want? And his answers were not that good. We thought of an answer for him saying that Quebecers are a nation of builders. They're trying to protect their language for 400 years. They built Hydro-Québec, the Caisse de dépôt and placement, which is the equivalent of the Teachers Fund in Ontario. So it's a nation of builders. And so he didn't quite answer that kind of answer.

So we're waiting for him to see if he knows a little bit more about Quebec than he has showed so far. Marc Thiessen Ballonet, Ph.D. Ballonet, Ph.D. Ballonet, Ph.D. Ballonet, Ph.D. Ballonet, Ph.D. Ballonet, Ph.D. Ballonet, Ph.D interesting. Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the Bloc, has said about Mark Carney, he doesn't like us so much.

He will never say that, that he does not like us, but I don't feel the love. What does he need to do, Mr. Carney, to show Quebecers that they feel the love coming from him? Yeah, I agree with Sebastien, because he has... You know, there was a little bit of joke about cultural, popular culture. It seems scripted, you know, so it needs to be But yes would be this reassuring figure of course because now there's some issues that are you're talking about Donald Trump There's something that's way ahead of

Quebec or every Canadians feel the same. So there's something that makes this campaign so different, but I think he has to Understand and know more about Quebec. I think for now it's a little bit more theoretical. What about Pierre Pauliev? I mean the polls suggest that he has not connected here in the way that he has in other parts of this country. What do you think that's about? There's something in the tone and the way he shows himself, and we've seen that on

the Tourmond-Napal, that was a huge difference. He's trying to soften that tone cheerful more smiley looks like the cool guy you know we've seen he has he has this transformation with not only with taking off his glasses he really tried to make a change and is different in Quebec that is in Western Canada and I think Quebecers they they don't like that much of an aggressive type of politician we you like people that are merry, a little bit more kind, or there's something, I guess he understood that. He couldn't come with those attacks and lots of attacks he made about Trudeau and all those months he passed on acts, the tax. I mean, it doesn't

concern Quebec that much. The tax, the carbon as it is in the rest of Canada wasn't an issue. So it's, you lose, you lost some months to talk to people from Quebec during this time. Sebastian, what do you make of that? Somebody, and this is a bit of what Valerie is saying as well, somebody made the point to me that some of the things that Pierre Paliéov has been attacking are things that people really value here in Quebec. Journalists, public broadcasting, culture, for example, that those are things that people really value here in Quebec. Journalists, public broadcasting, culture for example, that those are things that it's the wrong thing to attack in some ways. Is that, what do you think has led

to people perhaps not embracing him in the same way that he has been embraced in other parts of this country? Yeah, I would make the difference between the Quebec City region, where the conservative ideology is more popular than in the rest of Quebec. So in the Quebec city region, people tend to vote more to the right than to the left. And so the conservatives have a bit of a chance to have MPs elected. But it's true that it's hurting in some ways the way Quebecers are doing politics. And Valérie said it well, we don't like the pit bull aspect of politics.

We don't like simple solutions for complex issues. And in a way, that's what Pierre Poiliev has been offering throughout the last four years. And so there are no simple solutions to complex issues and so maybe that's why he's not as popular as in the rest of the country. To your point, Sebastian, I mean this has been this area around Quebec City has been a pretty solid conservative region coming out of Stephen Harper's leadership. What do you make of the comments from the former mayor of Quebec City saying last week that he sees the potential for a red wave of liberals in this area.

Well, I think it's the same... Quebec people are feeling the same thing as the rest of Canada. This election is about who can stand up to Donald Trump and it has overshadowed all the other issues. You talked about other issues such as climate, such as inflation and other things that have been present in the campaign, but always overshadowed by Donald Trump and his tariffs. So if people in the rest of Canada are leaning towards Mark Carney, the Quebec City region is not different.

They don't want someone who's a career politician maybe, such as Pierre Poilers is, they might turn to the economist, the person who knows the economy and who can stand up to Donald Trump. As we speak, maybe the debate was changed something tonight, but as we speak, Mark Carney is the man identified as being able to stand up to Donald Trump. Valerie, what do you make of it? Go ahead. Part of this is about what people outside of this province don't understand about Quebec City, if they're only getting their information from English media sources. Yeah, well, this division, those conservative roots, is very interesting.

And something that might make this red wave maybe smaller here is there's some local MPs are really really popular like Gerald Elthel, Pierre-Paul Desdemain. You know I think they could resist to any waves. What people don't know about Quebec, I mean there's I think the place of the public sector employees and that's there's so much different like on the South Shore you know there's boats, there's a lot of enterprise, small businesses. So there's a portrait that is very different from the center of Quebec to the region at large. And that's the every issue. You talked about transport earlier in the show with Alicia Depain.

With the tramway. The tramway, the turdling. So there's a real division between the suburb and the center city. So that's always interesting and that's why here on the North Shore of Quebec, there's every color. I mean there's two, actually two liberals, two Blocs, and three Conservatives. We have not talked about the Bloc. What does Mr Blanchet need to do tonight? Oh, I guess we know him very much. He's always very good in debate. But right now, I think every red wave will touch way more the bloc than the conservative. Sebastian, I heard you agreeing in the background, Sebastian.

Yes, absolutely. The game if François Blanchet is playing in this election is to say that he will be the voice of Quebec in Ottawa and that if people don't vote for the Bloc Québécois, the voice of Quebec won't be heard. That's putting aside the fact that there are Quebec ministers such as François-Philippe Champagne, Mélanie Jolie, Stephen Gilbo, who are around the cabinet ministers' table and can have an influence on what the government decides. And he's been overshadowed as well by Donald Trump. So his game is to convince Quebecers that he's their voice in Ottawa, and probably he's

going to try to do that during the debate. Yeah. Sebastian, can I ask you the question that I asked Valerie, which is what do you think people outside of this province, what don't they understand about Quebec in 2025? About the city of Quebec or the province? Well, a little bit of both, but yeah, they're two different places, but in some ways it's what we're doing is trying to help people understand the place that we're in. So for this city maybe even, what is it that people don't understand about Quebec City? Well, there's a physical divide between uptown and downtown and it's a cliff, it's literally

a cliff between uptown and downtown and in Quebec City there are radio stations that promote the ideology from the right, which are more maybe popular than in other parts of the country. The thing about Quebec as a whole, the province, is that people have to realize that for 400 years, people in Quebec have been battling, struggling to defend their culture, their identity, their language. If you look south, it's English. If you look east, it's English. If you look east, it's English. If you look west, it's English. There's that mentality that the government has to protect the culture. It sounds like a familiar story that the rest of Canada is dealing with now when it comes to how we're being treated by the United States. And that is very interesting because for the last 40,

50 years, we've been talking about Quebec sovereignty, and this election is in part about Canada's sovereignty. So, the rest of Canada can feel what Quebec has been feeling for the last 400 years. Valerie, last minute to you, and I want to turn this minute over to you to tell me what you love about this place. Born and raised here, we were chatting as you came in, and you're like a tour guide for Quebec City. What do you love about this place. Born and raised here, we were chatting as you came in, and you're like a tour guide for Quebec City. What do you love about this place? I love this place.

I know you had dinner downtown yesterday. I really love my neighborhood, which is called Saint-Roch. It has those issues with homeless people, like everywhere in Canada. I think we don't know about... Quebec City is, you know, we talk, we talk about public sector more right-wing sometimes, but it's more, there's a way more edginess we can think, you know, it's a cool place sometimes. There's a big, big underground music scene, the restaurant, of course, a lot of tourism, and it's human scale, downtown city with, you know, it's a big small city. That's why I love this place.

And we have a strong identity and I live here, work here, shop here, hang out in my neighborhood. I love this place. You love it. Mid-size with the the purse of a big city. Exactly. Where would you want to be? Where else would you want to be than here? It's been a great opportunity to be here. Stay with us. I'm not leaving. I'm here. The food has kept me and the company as well. Thank you both for being here. It's been so great to talk to you and to have you explain, as we say, this place to the rest of the country. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Vallée-Goudreau is a political columnist for Le Soleil. She's with me here in our Quebec City

studio. And Sébastien Beauvais is a National Assembly Bureau Chief for RADJA Canada. He was in Montreal for the debates. The French language debate happens tonight. The English language leaders debate happens tomorrow. That is The Current 4 this Wednesday. Q is up next on CBC Radio 1. Our election road trip wraps up next week in Halifax. You think of Quebec City and Valerie was running through all the great things that are part

of this town. The Plains of Abraham is large in the mental map of so many people here. We're going to leave Quebec with perhaps the most iconic concert the Plains of Abraham has ever seen. In the summer of 2023, Les Carbouilles Franquents took to the big outdoor stage at Festival d'été for what would be one of their final performances. The lead singer, Carl Tremblay, was being treated for cancer. He died a few months later. And part way through, if you haven't seen the video of this, you have to go look on YouTube for this. Part way through this song, Sommone et Paul, On My Shoulder, Carl had to take a break from singing. He was exhausted.

He sat down and what happened is that tens of thousands of people took up the song for him. And this would, it was just a remarkable, remarkable moment. These are Les Calois Franklin, live on the plains of Abraham. I'm Matt Galloway in Quebec City. Thanks for listening to The Courage. We'll see you tomorrow. My good fortune, you had 30 cents And what happiness I have in your pocket It's the first time I understand that everything Is a blessing

But the price is too high And the world is too big Oh my God! It's been ten years since we've been in the dust We face the wind and the sun Together we talk We're going to talk about nothing Tell me that this time we're talking You're not alone Oh shit, we're not alone tonight You hear, Nuka? It's a dream, we're learning the suffering I'm not a Le mouchoir de larmes dans ta poche Je n'aime pas store de savoir que tu tiens