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    • 'Charter may quickly become less relevant': Why Canadians outside of Quebec should watch the election

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    Quebecers will cast their ballots on Oct. 3, with the incumbent Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) dominating in the polls and expected to win another majority government. With less than four weeks left in the election campaign, here’s how the race — and the results — could affect the rest of Canada.

    A recent Leger poll puts the CAQ well ahead of its competition, with 42 per cent of respondents saying they’d vote the incumbent party in for another mandate. That’s compared to 17 per cent for the Quebec Liberal Party, 15 per cent for Quebec Solidaire, 14 per cent for the Conservative Party of Quebec, and finally the Parti Quebecois and other parties trailing with nine per cent and three per cent respectively.

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    Meanwhile the CAQ is running on its record from the last four years, so Quebecers, the federal government, and Canadians can expect more of the same from la belle province under Premier François Legault, according to Daniel Béland, a political science professor and director of McGill University’s Institute for the Study of Canada.

    Béland told CTVNews.ca when it comes to Legault’s relationship with Primer Minister Justin Trudeau, the CAQ’s resounding win is likely not something the federal Liberals are looking forward to, especially because the premier encouraged Quebecers to vote Conservative in the last federal election.

    Legault has also focused on increasing Quebec’s autonomy during his last term, and plans to continue on that path, Béland said.

    He added while it’s unlikely there will be any big surprises during this election, he’s watching to see how strong the CAQ’s victory ends up being.

    “That could raise some alarms for the Liberals,” Béland said. “It would not be good news for Justin Trudeau to see the CAQ becoming even stronger.”

    One point of contention is the difference between Quebec and Canada’s immigration policies. Legault told The Canadian Press he plans to keep the province’s immigration targets the same — around 50,000 per year — to meet Quebec’s “integration capacity,” and protect the French language, while calling Trudeau’s immigration policy “extreme.”

    Béland called the difference in federal and provincial targets with Legault as premier a “mismatched vision.”

    Another wedge issue is Quebec’s controversial bills 21 and 96. The former is the province’s secularism law, which prohibits public servants from wearing religious symbols on the job, and the latter is its language law, which asserts that French is the official and common language of Quebec, and seeks to increase its use in public and in workplaces.

    Pearl Eliadis, a human rights lawyer and associate professor at McGill University, told CTVNews.ca the two pieces of legislation — and the CAQ’s use of the notwithstanding clause to protect them from court challenges — show a “unilateral attempt by the CAQ to change our fundamental Charter and constitutional values,” and a “pushing and pulling at the constitution.”

    “I think it’s important to take the long view on this,” she said, explaining this is neither the first nor last time a province has tried to meddle with the Constitution.

    “If this becomes the norm, if this becomes the way we do business politically, I think the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms may quickly become far less relevant than it has been since 1982,” Eliadis also said.

    At the same time, there’s another election happening: one for a new Conservative Party of Canada leader.

    Béland said it’ll be interesting to see how presumed frontrunner Pierre Poilievre responds to the Quebec election’s candidates if he wins the federal Conservative leadership.

    On the one hand, Poilievre and Legault both embrace populist views, Béland explained, but he’s more interested to see whether fourth-place Conservative Party of Quebec leader Éric Duhaime wins enough seats to be a well-placed ally for Poilievre, whom he’s known for more than two decades.

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    World

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    • A Nova Scotia woman has applied for a medically assisted death, saying after years of battling to receive out-of-country surgery for an illness that causes 'indescribable' pain, she struggles to maintain the will to live.

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

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    • Viewers of Jeopardy got a chance to test their knowledge of trivia about B.C.'s biggest city Wednesday night.

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    Lifestyle

    Sports

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    The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

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    • The seats from a stolen e-bike that was customized for a Surrey, B.C., child with complex health needs have been recovered – but the bike itself has yet to be found.

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      Michael Ford, Ontario's minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, says he is taking a leave of absence from cabinet to prioritize his health.

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    • For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

    • It will be the last show for longtime children's TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge as a memorial is held Friday in Calgary.

    • China's ongoing ban on Canadian beef appears to have no end in sight, making it a textbook example of the uncertainty Canadian exporters continue to face in that market.

    • Alberta Health Services says an E. coli outbreak at a daycare in Blackfalds has ended.

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • Maplewood Secondary School is scheduled to open Monday after receiving a permit Friday morning allowing 50 per cent of the building to be occupied.

    • Ottawa Fire Services says a driver has been safely extricated after being trapped following a two-vehicle collision near a high school in the city’s south end.

    • The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

    • The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

    • A man who asserted his right to work in French has won his case before the Tribunal, invoking the new provisions of the province's French-language law (Bill 96) to that effect.

    • Mounties say there was an increased police presence in the Emerald Hills area of Sherwood Park on Friday morning as officers searched for a man who is wanted by police.

    • Alberta Health Services says an E. coli outbreak at a daycare in Blackfalds has ended.

    • One person has been charged and an arrest warrant has been issued for a second in connection with an Alberta Emergency Alert earlier this week.

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      A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

    • A Nova Scotia woman has applied for a medically assisted death, saying after years of battling to receive out-of-country surgery for an illness that causes 'indescribable' pain, she struggles to maintain the will to live.

    • A black bear that was tranquilized in a park in Dartmouth, N.S., has been released back into the wild, according to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR).

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

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    • A 69-year-old woman from Outlook, Saskatchewan is dead and three people are injured after a truck and SUV collided on Highway 15 on Thursday.

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    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

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    • Two people emerged unhurt after a float plane had a hard landing late Friday morning on Lake Temiskaming.

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    • Members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and supportetrs greatly outnumbered the people attending a '1 Million March 4 Children' event along Central Avenue.

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    • Two men from Barrie have been charged after a deadly shooting at a park in Keswick on Wednesday.

    • Provincial police are investigating vandalism in Huntsville after the "senseless destruction" of flower displays along Main Street East.

    • A 17-year-old from Markham is facing serious charges after an August 11 shooting at a party in Caledon.

    • Windsor police say a 25-year-old mother has been charged with the drowning death of her 5-year-old child in the family’s backyard pool.

    • There is no threats to public safety following an incident involving a gun at a local high school.

    • A LaSalle couple has won $1 million after buying a ticket for the Aug. 13 LottoMax draw.

    • New Democrat Leader David Eby has launched his British Columbia election campaign a day early, making the key battle ground of Surrey his first stop.

    • The Old Man Lake wildfire near Sooke is the only one currently burning on Vancouver Island. It’s a region of the province that this year saw a drastic drop in blazes in the backcountry.

    • The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC) has declared a state of emergency in all 14 of its member First Nations due to a mental health and opioid crisis.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls – including one that gave birth to 10 puppies – from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • A Vulcan, Alta., man has been charged with a Lethbridge woman's murder after her body was found in the Oyen area.

    • A Lethbridge couple got a good reminder as to why you should keep your vehicle doors locked at all times.

    • Lethbridge residents who live near the police range can expect to hear plenty of shots fired Wednesday and Thursday.

    • Ontario Provincial Police say three suspects from southern Ontario have been charged and drugs worth $300,000 have been seized following a traffic stop Sept. 16.

    • A Brampton driver, 27, was charged this week when northern Ontario police stopped the SUV he was driving on Highway 17 after a reported shooting and found more than $100,000 in cash.

    • A new community health profile in the Algoma District shows the area is significantly below provincial averages in a number of health metrics.

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