Quebec election campaigns focus on economy, taxes

Party leaders came out swinging this morning, focusing on the economy an issue at the heartof most Quebecers as the provincial economy struggles under a deficit exceeding $1 billion.

A recent CBC-Ekos poll suggested the economy and jobs are the most important election issues for Quebecers, and candidates are well aware.

The Liberals kicked off the morning by introducing their economic team, which includes heavyweights tapped from the financial sector.

Its not an inevitability that taxes andtariffswill always increase- Franois Legault, CAQLeader

JacquesDaoust, running as a candidate in Verdun, was until recently the head ofInvestissementQubec.

MartinCoiteux, running inNelligan, is an economist at the Bank of Canada and CarlosLeitao, the chief economist atLaurentianBank, is the Liberals candidate in Robert Baldwin.

Liberal Leader PhilippeCouillardalso pledged to create 250,000 jobs over the next five years if his party is elected. That was the samepromise made by his predecessor, Jean Charest, during the 2012 election campaign.

CAQ promises tax cuts

CoalitionAvenirQubecresponded with an economic plan that promises to cut health and school taxes, and to put $1,000 back in the pockets of Quebec families.

ManyQuebecersbelieve its not possible to lower taxes. Theyve been promised this many times by the Liberals and thepquistsand these two older parties have not delivered The message that I want to send toQuebecersis, Dont give up. Its not an inevitability that taxes and tariffs will always increase,CAQLeaderFranoisLegaultsaid.

TheCAQsaid it would save money by reducing tax credits and grants for businesses, which the party says are too generous.

The plan also focuses on freezing the number of public sector workers, by not replacing retiring baby boomers and transferring jobs from administration,to the front lines in services like health and education.

PQ focuses on anti-corruption agenda

We are appealing to the intelligence of the electorate.- FranoiseDavid, Qubec Solidaireco-spokesperso

ThePartiQubcoiswas inDrummondvilleon Thursdaymorning to introduce one of its own star candidates DanielLebel.

Lebelis the president of the Quebec order of engineers, a key candidate that could help bolster thePQ'santi-corruption image.

"In18 months, corruption is on the decline and integrity has advanced,"PQLeader PaulineMaroissaid.

"Mr.Lebelis a man of great competence, integrity, who's engaged in his region of Quebec."

Nicolas Marceau, the finance minister in Marois's last cabinet, responded to the Liberal and CAQ plans this afternoon, defending his budget and putting the blame for the province's deficit on the previous Liberal government. He called Couillard's plan "recycled," and lacking new ideas.

"It's the same old recipe to borrow more and to spend more," he said.

He said the CAQ'splan has several holes and is based oninaccurate assumptions about the growth of the civil service.

QuebecSolidaireappeals to voter intelligence

Social justice and the redistribution of wealth were the key themes inQubecSolidaire'seconomic plan.

The party promised to create 50,000 new affordablehousing units over the next five years and to lower the daily cost of publicdaycares.

"What's important is to vote with our heads ... We are appealing to the intelligence of the electorate," said co-spokespersonFranoiseDavid.

David said her party would also work to escape an economy that's founded on petroleum