What's motivating your vote? The leaders think they know

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The good news for those who like all this election stuff: there are still two and a half weeks left in the campaign.

The good news for those who don't like all this election stuff: the campaign is already half over.

So, mid-campaign, we want to know: what's pushing your pen toward one box and not another? The parties think they know.

And even though they're all in the same race, they all have different ideas about what will, or should, motivate your choice on Oct. 1.

Here's what you need to know on day 20:

​The Breakout

By Benjamin Shingler, @benshingler

What is this election about? It depends, of course, on whom you ask.

Philippe Couillard wants it to be about immigration. The "ballot question," he said Monday, is whether the province should cut the number of newcomers to 40,000 a year, as the frontrunning Coalition Avenir Québec proposes to do. He argued the labour shortage is the province's most pressing economic issue, and that reducing the number of immigrants makes no sense.

The Liberals hope talking up the CAQ's hardline immigration stance will keep wavering allophones and anglophones on side, and reinforce the party's reputation as economic stewards.

But that approach doesn't seem to be winning over francophones, who continue to favour the CAQ, according to a new Le Devoir-Montreal Gazette Léger poll that still has the party in majority territory.

Still, CAQ Leader François Legault, in response to Couillard, stressed there are other important issues to consider, including education and health care. Ultimately, he said, the big question should be: "Do Quebecers want to do another four years with the Liberals?"

Québec Solidaire, which is poised to make gains on Oct. 1, has its own view on what the election is about, and it's not the kind of "divisive" politics that has "kept the Liberals in power for 15 years."

"What should scare us is that pollution is burning the planet," party co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said.

Jean-François Lisée, whose party helped turn so many past elections into a de facto referendum on sovereignty, had a novel idea. The Parti Québécois leader said the ballot question should be up to voters to decide.

In an election where there is no clear issue, it is perhaps not surprising that so many voters are still undecided about how they'll cast their vote.

The Léger poll found that, with the election now half over, 38 per cent of Quebecers could still change their minds and 44 per cent could be influenced by the upcoming debates. The first one is on Thursday. Stay tuned.

The Breakdown​

• The CAQ may be leading in opinion polls, but it isn't leading on the environment, according to a new report card prepared by environmental groups. The CAQ scored the lowest, followed closely by the Couillard Liberals. Québec Solidaire scored highest.

• Campaigning at a CEGEP in Laval, Couillard pledged to make public transit free for all students and seniors across Quebec, at an estimated cost of $200 million a year. The proposal drew a big round of applause from the crowd… of students. Read more.

• Legault said a CAQ government would restore public funding for one round of fertility treatment, at an estimated cost of $16 million annually. The PQ has also promised to bring back the popular program, which was axed by the Couillard Liberals, who deemed it too costly.  

The Mic

What can you tell me about the Quebec branches of the NDP and Green Party? I'm probably not going to vote for any of the four that are getting the most coverage. -Jonathan Benn, Montreal

Hey Jonathan, great question! Learning where all the parties stand can take a bit of legwork. There are 17 official parties in this election that do not currently have seats at the National Assembly.

The NDPQ is a new name in the game — it's aiming to run candidates in 61 ridings (the deadline to register is Saturday). This is the first time in a decade the NDP has made an appearance on the provincial ballot. An earlier version of the party separated from the federal NDP in 1989. That faction became a founding pillar of Québec Solidaire.

The new New Democratic Party of Quebec is billing itself as a choice for people who are left-leaning but don't support the sovereignty movement. Their full platform won't be available online until next week, but you can tune in to hear the party's leader, Raphaël Fortin, on CBC Daybreak tomorrow morning at 6:10 a.m. Bookmark this link to listen live.

The Green Party of Quebec, fronted by Alex Tyrrell, is back and running 64 candidates this election. The federalist party's platform is primarily anchored in — you guessed it — the environment, but also addresses issues such as social justice, labour and education.

It captured 0.55 per cent of the vote in 2014 and hopes to top that this time around. You can find out more about the party's platform in our profile.

Do you have election questions you want answered? Send your queries to ballotbrief@cbc.ca and we'll choose some to be answered right here.

The Race

Another day, another poll, another update to our Poll Tracker!

For more poll tracker goodness, click here.

Thanks for joining us as we pass the midway point of this horse race and round the corner into the home stretch.

As E-Day (yes, we went there) draws nearer, keep in touch and let us know if there's anything you think we should be covering in the daily newsletter. You can always reach us at ballotbrief@cbc.ca or you can give us a shout on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

À la prochaine, 

-Melinda Dalton, social media editor