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Quebec election: Anglade says it's 'full steam ahead' for the Liberals

Among other measures, the party says it would create a new provincial secretariat for people with autism and assign a minister to it.

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Trailing in the polls with two weeks to go in the campaign, Quebec Liberal Party Dominique Anglade plans on going “full steam ahead” until the election to get her message out to voters.

While other party leaders used Wednesday to prepare for Thursday night’s debate, Anglade spent the morning campaigning in St-Lambert and had different media interviews scheduled for the afternoon.

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“For sure, I’m going to go full-steam until October, there’s no question about that,” Anglade told reporters, assuring them she’s preparing for the debate as much as the other leaders.

Recent polls suggest François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec could be poised for a dominant victory come election night, with around 38 per cent of voter intentions, while the Liberals are in a tight race with Québec solidaire and the Conservative Party of Quebec.

In recent days, Anglade has positioned the polls as meaning that a majority of Quebecers don’t want to see Legault as their premier and has called on voters to rally behind the Liberal party to “block” him from remaining in power.

She’s also spoken of wanting to convey her energy and enthusiasm better while on the campaign trail, facing questions from reporters about whether she’s trying to put forward a “new Dominique Anglade” in light of the polls.

“I’m transparent, I’m open, I want to take questions … I never shy away from any challenge that we have, and that’s the Dominique who (people around me) know. It’s what we’re all about,” she said.

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“I’m allowing myself to be who I am,” she added. “You get into politics so everyone can be who they are, and contribute to their full potential. So in a way that’s what I want to show as the leader of a political party.”

Earlier Wednesday, Anglade announced that if elected, the Liberal party would do more for Quebecers with autism or a disability, arguing the province is not meeting their day-to-day needs.

While visiting a day centre for people with autism in St-Lambert, on Montreal’s South Shore, Anglade said Quebec needs to consider people with disabilities when it comes to transportation, education and employment.

The Liberal party is pledging to create a provincial secretariat, similar to those that exist for youth or Indigenous affairs, and assign a minister responsible for it.

“It’s the idea of giving a voice to people who don’t have one and who are constantly running up against a wall with the government,” Anglade said.

The party pledged to bring together a committee of experts to determine ways to better support people with autism as they transition to adulthood. It said it would do so within its first 100 days in government.

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It said it would help people with autism access employment and support businesses that hire them through internship programs and wage subsidies.

The party is proposing to create an identification card with an official photo for people who do not hold a driver’s licence. The measure is necessary, it says, as people with autism don’t always have a driver’s licence and can occasionally face challenges when they need to identify themselves.

Earlier in the campaign, François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec promised $100 million over four years to create 500 more places in day centres for people with disabilities.

Anglade, however, accused the CAQ of making the announcement without listening to the community’s needs.

“People living with a disability have tried to communicate with the government several times, to be consulted, to be considered,” she said.

“You don’t solve the problem by announcing money for it during an election campaign,” she continued. “We want to give people who don’t have a voice a seat at the table and say, ‘Tell us what you need.’ We want them to be involved.”

jfeith@postmedia.com

twitter.com/jessefeith

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