Quebec election candidates debate parental leave and economic policy

During the Quebec election campaign, Coalition Avenir Québec leader Christine Fréchette unveiled commitments to enhance the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (RQAP). The proposed Plan Famille aims to increase flexibility for families and provide more support for various life situations. Key proposals include adding two weeks to paternity leave, improving benefits for perinatal bereavement, and offering greater flexibility to involve grandparents or close relatives in caregiving.

Political rivals have responded with competing economic and social platforms. Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has pledged to reduce taxes for Quebec businesses by 20 per cent and end subsidies for foreign multinationals, citing the failed Northvolt battery plant project as a consequence of current government interventionism. Meanwhile, Quebec Liberal leader Charles Milliard has focused on economic diversification, pledging to reduce the province's reliance on United States exports by at least 15 per cent to mitigate the impact of trade tensions.