Election front-runners get scrappy as promises unveiled

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The buses are rolling, the promises are flowing and the accusations are flying. We're six days into the campaign and the election machine has swung into full gear. Still sliding out of the summer and back into reality? Don't worry, we've got you covered.

Here's what you need to know.

​The Breakout

By Jonathan Montpetit, @jonmontpetit

The campaign hasn't yet hit the one-week mark, but it's already starting to get scrappy out there.

Today, the two front-runners were sparring over immigration. This is one issue where the difference between the CAQ and the Liberals is clearest.

The CAQ wants to reduce the number of immigrants the province accepts each year, from 50,000 to 40,000. The Liberals think the current number is just fine; lowering it, they say, will only aggravate widespread labour shortages.

"[François] Legault is anything but a political leader on economic issues," Philippe Couillard said Tuesday, poking fun at his rival's promise to be "a premier of the economy."

Legault was having none of that. The problem, he said, isn't the number of immigrants that Quebec accepts, but that the current system does a poor job of integrating them. Too few settle outside big cities, and many leave the province altogether.

But Legault wasn't done. He added: "[Couillard] personally sponsored immigrants in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and these immigrants chose to leave the region. [He] wasn't even able [to convince] these people."

The CAQ leader was referring to a family of Syrian refugees that Couillard helped sponsor in 2015. It emerged yesterday that the Syrian family recently moved from the Saguenay area to Montreal.

We'll let you decide who comes out looking better.

​​The Breakdown

• If Québec Solidaire has its way, only hybrid and electric vehicles will be for sale as of 2030. By 2050, vehicles burning fossil fuels would be banned entirely from Quebec's roads. The party is taking the stick-and-carrot approach: those who buy electric vehicles would be eligible for tax credits, and those who buy gas guzzlers would pay a penalty.

• Thought the controversy over Kanata was over? Not quite. PQ Leader Jean-François Lisée told reporters he would meet with director Robert Lepage if he becomes premier to try to get the production on the stage. Lisée says a PQ government would support liberty of expression and quality productions, even if they are controversial.

The Trail: Dispatches from the road

By Elias Abboud, @eliabb

Election campaigns are all about keeping up appearances. On the campaign trail, there are the things the parties want you to see, and there is the reality.

There are two media buses attached to the CAQ campaign. One is for print media, and the other is for electronic media. I'm on that one.

Our buses do not follow the main bus around. François Legault, his wife, police security guards, and various handlers and advisors usually leave earlier than we do. Their bus sets up somewhere in the vicinity of the first event.

When Legault is ready to make his appearance…

What you see: A shot of the bus with other candidates lined up outside the door. The door opens, the leader exits, apparently shocked and surprised to see his candidates waiting to greet him. He gives them a big hug or a kiss on the cheek as he makes his way down the line.

What's really going on: The bus arrives. The candidates, who have been on the bus with the leader for God knows how long already, get off and line up alongside the door. The leader exits a few minutes later when everyone is ready. Cue the surprised look and the hugging and kissing.

P.S.: When you look closely at the Legault bus, you'll see he missed a spot on his chin shaving the morning of the photo shoot. 

The mic

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CAQ lead widening

CBC poll analyst and all-star stats go-to Éric Grenier aggregates all publicly available polling data in our Poll Tracker. Six days into the campaign, this is where the parties stand:

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À la prochaine, 

-Melinda Dalton, social media editor