With Premier Legault officially announcing the dissolution of the National Assembly, the 2022 Quebec election has officially started, so expect to start seeing signs and political advertisements.

Continuing with our profiles of the Pontiac candidates, THE EQUITY sat down with Will Twolan, the candidate for the new Canadian Party of Quebec (CaPQ).

“I’ve pretty well lived in the Pontiac my entire life, I was raised here for the 21 years I’ve been on this earth,” said Twolan about his background. “I love the Pontiac.”

Twolan said he previously helped with his father, Bill Twolan’s, municipal council campaigns and currently helps him with his housing business. He currently is studying law and communications at uOttawa.

As to why the 21-year-old student felt it was time to get involved, Twolan said that Bill 96, Bill 21 and Bill 40 motivated him to take the leap.

“I have a lot of anglophone friends, colleagues and family,” said Twolan. “I felt that what the government of Quebec was doing wasn’t right. And there is no other party that is actually for repealing bills 96, 21 and 40, at least of the viable options. The Liberal Party of Quebec (LPQ) only wishes to amend it ever so slightly and just make some reforms.”

Twolan said he originally considered supporting the LPQ as the only party that would realistically defend anglophones, but when he saw that the CaPQ held a firmer stance on bills 96, 21 and 40, he decided to join up with them.

Beyond the three bills, Twolan also listed his other priorities he would have should he be elected.

“If I were to be elected, I’d be working closely with the municipalities,” said Twolan. “In the Pontiac, I think it’s vital that we all stay connected. Rural healthcare is something that really needs to happen, we need to improve that, especially with the Shawville hospital. The maternity ward being closed, that’s unacceptable, especially in a region as vast as ours.”

Twolan also said that CaPQ would make defending minority rights a priority by defending the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the province.

“Nearly 40 per cent of the Pontiac is anglophone,” said Twolan. “So having access to resources in both the official languages of Canada, where Quebec is, is essential to feeling at home. I don’t see why someone shouldn’t be able to feel at home just because they speak one of the official languages in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

On education, Twolan reiterated his opposition to Bill 40, a bill passed by the CAQ to abolish and replace Quebec school boards, however it does not affect English school boards due to a court exempting them from the bill.

He also believes in allowing parents to choose the language their child is educated in.

“I don’t believe the government should be able to tell a parent where they can put their child, in either an anglophone school or a French school,” said Twolan. “I believe that is completely up to the parents.”

Twolan also said the CaPQ would work on addressing the increasing cost of living and move towards reconciliation with Indigenous people in the province.

In response to fears that the CaPQ may split the vote with other parties that oppose Bill 96 and Bill 21, Twolan wasn’t concerned.

“I don’t believe that we are going to hurt the outcome of the election that much,” he said. “I believe that when anglophones do go to vote, they will see our party as a viable option, as opposed to the Liberals who refuse to completely repeal Bill 96.”

Mentioning LPQ leader Dominique Anglade’s previous position as president of the CAQ from 2012 to 2013, Twolan stated anglophones can make their own decision on what party has anglophone’s interest at heart.

In a recent press release, CaPQ leader Colin Standish reiterated those sentiments.

“We are the only party that is committed to repealing Bills 96, 21 and 40 in their entirety. A vote for the QLP is a vote for Bill 96: they voted for Bill 96 time-after-time, made Bill 96 worse with amendments, and would keep 98 per cent of Bill 96 if elected to office,” said Standish.

“We’re going to run in a respectful manner. But we’re still going to carry the punch line of we really need to stand up for our rights right now,” concluded Twolan.

With five parties represented in the National Assembly and three more contesting seats across the province, this election promises to continue the upheavals in Quebec’s politics since the CAQ won in 2018. While many expect the CAQ to expand its majority, a lot can change in a month. With the number of parties contesting for votes, the expected decrease in support for the Parti Québécois (PQ) and the LPQ and the surge of support for the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) the final composition of the National Assembly is unpredictable.

The Canadian political data website Polling Canada published the amount of money raised by each Quebec political party with seats in the National Assembly since the begining of 2022. According to data the CAQ brought in $928,562 in donations, the PQ brought in $654,150, Québec solidaire (QS) brought in $560,693, the PCQ brought in $517,078 and the PLQ brought in $324,020.

Whether or not this will affect the results of the race remains to be seen.

THE EQUITY has been in contact with Pontiac PQ candidate Jolaine Paradis-Châteauneuf’s campaign and expects to interview her in the coming weeks.

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