ELECTION NIGHT LIVEBLOG

-- Marois admits: "Quebecers love hijabs"

-- Huge CAQ wave pushes Legault to exactly where he was when he started

-- Early results pour in as vote-counters want to go to bed early

-- Couillard on election campaign: "Well, that was easy"

-- Director General of Elections encourages Quebecers to vote: "Every vote counts (except for Green Party)"

Québec solidaire criticizes economy for existing

ROSEMONT --  Québec solidare kind-of leader Françoise David launched a blistering attack on the economy today, saying that the economy "is hurting Québec and making it impossible to achieve our social goals."

"Every day in Québec, people are selling goods and services to each other," said David, clearly disgusted.  "Is this the kind of country we want to live in?  Where people spend their working lives committing economic activities?"

David took the opportunity to criticize tax havens, such as Ontario.  "Why are Québec companies selling their goods and services in Ontario, where they are being taxed in Ontario and not Québec?"

Parties propose new laws to ignore to combat corruption

MONTRÉAL -- Québec's major political parties unveiled new laws designed to be ignored to combat corruption. 

Philippe Couillard of the Liberal Party promised to "make corruption illegal," by passing a law outlawing the doing of illegal things.  "Once people realize that doing illegal things is against the law, that should reduce the incentive to perform corrupt practices."  He changed his mind later that day.

Pauline Marois pledged to reduce the campaign contribution limit from $100 to $0.08.  "We feel that by lowering the amount of legal contributions, that will lower the incentive to get funds illegally," she said.

Francois Legault said a CAQ government would close down the Highway Department.  "If there is no highway construction, then there can be no highway corruption," said Legault in a way that sort of sounded like a play on words but not really.

Francoise David said that a Québec solidaire government would nationalize the construction industry.  "History has proven that the one sector that is immune from corruption is the public sector," she said.

Québec solidaire wants quick independence referendum for Québec so that Russia can annex it

MONTRÉAL -- Québec solidaire sort-of leader Françoise David explained her position on favouring a quick referendum on sovereignty today, saying that she believed that a quick referendum on independence would lead to Russia annexing Québec.

"Russia is the birthplace of the workers' paradise that we wish to create in Québec and it is also very keen to annex places that declare independence after a quick referendum," said David.

When asked to comment, the Russian ambassador to Canada did not dismiss the idea but said it would likely have to wait until just after the next Winter Olympics.

With debate over, leaders look forward to doing nothing until April 7

QUÉBEC -- With the debate completed, each of the leaders of Québec's four major parties are looking forward to doing and saying nothing until the April 7 vote.

"I just said the same thing over and over during the debate that I've been saying all campaign," said apparent frontrunner Philippe Couillard, "and I don't think I'll need to repeat myself anymore for the rest of the campaign."

"My voice is getting a bit sore, so I think I'll probably just stay home and rest for the remainder of the campaign," said premier Pauline Marois.

"I can't think of anything else to say," said Coalition avenir Québec leader François Legault.  "I think we all struggled to say anything new during the debate.  I wish the vote was today, frankly."

"The campaign is over," said Françoise David of Québec solidaire.  "I should think everyone has made up their minds already."

LEADERS' DEBATE SUMMARY

MONTREAL -- The following is a summary of our live coverage of the 2014 Leaders' debate:

OPENING STATEMENTS:
- Leaders mention the lack of importance of a referendum 10 times in 3 minutes.

JOBS AND THE ECONOMY:

- Francoise David wants to stop Quebec from turning into an "Oil State", by pointing out that there is no oil in Quebec.

- The zero voters on Anticosti Island are pleased that the leaders are finally talking about their issues.

- Legault, with "Gaspésie/Gaspillage" line, takes early lead in Debate Pun Contest.

- Polls indicate that yelling random job numbers makes leaders appear interesting, likeable

SOCIAL SERVICES:

- Legault says "You didn't do your homework" during education debate; takes 2-0 lead in Play-On-Words Contest

-  Health and education cease to be voters' top priorities after realizing that talking about those issues is so boring.

NATIONALITY AND IDENTITY:

- Leaders finally talk about Pierre Karl Péladeau in order to wake themselves up.

- Francoise David promises referendum in her first term as premier (in year 2135).

CLOSING STATEMENTS:

- Only "knock-out punch" at Québec leaders' debate from viewers who tried to knock themselves unconscious to avoid boredeom.

Leaders' debate expected to focus on voters' top priorities: weather, hockey

MONTREAL -- Tonight's debate between the leaders of Québec's four main political parties is expected to focus on the two issues that voters have indicated is foremost in their minds: when spring will start, and who the Canadiens will face in the first round of the playoffs.

Pauline Marois and Francoise David have both called upon the federal government to give up more powers from Environment Canada to the provinces in determining when spring will arrive.  Liberal leader Philippe Couillard was recently on the defensive when he suggested that negotiating a constitutional change over the weather would be difficult, especially as Ontario currently controls the groundhog that predicts spring in Canada.

The Canadiens' chances in the playoffs are expected to dominate much of the discussion since polls identified this issue as voters' top priority.  Couillard and Legault have had difficulty distinguishing their positions as they both believe that Montreal will face Toronto, while Marois favours Tampa Bay.  Francoise David, who does not follow hockey, is expected to spend this part of the debate texting. 

Québec campaign so boring, federal government steps in

OTTAWA -- The federal government was so concerned that the Québec election campaign had become boring due to concentration on tomorrow's debate that it implemented a change of finance minister to give some news to report on.

"Given the current lull in the Québec election, in the interests of keeping something worthwhile in the news, federal Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty has announced his resignation," said a communiqué from the Prime Minister's Office in Ottawa.

All parties in Québec denounced the move.  "We are against anything that the Harper Government does," said Francoise David of Québec solidaire.  "We have been asking for the resignation of the Finance Minister for a long time, and now that he has resigned, we are against that, too."

Françoise David to join Liberals, just to spite Péladeau

ROSEMONT-- Québec solidaire semi-leader Françoise David has announced that she is joining the Québec Liberal Party, just to spite Pierre-Karl Péladeau, who joined the Parti québécois on Sunday.

"As he is an enemy of the working class, whatever Pierre-Karl Péladeau does, I vow to do the opposite," said Ms. David on Monday.  "When his company wanted to build the Québec amphitheatre, I opposed the idea and suggested salting the ground where the construction site would be.  When Vidéotron expanded its spectrum, I switched to Netflix.  If he joins the Parti québécois, I will join the Liberals."

David also pledged to attend the National Assembly only on days that Péladeau is not attending.

Election night coverage

- PQ to celebrate victory for another 7 hours; infighting to resume at 8am tomorrow as scheduled.

- Charest says "we fooled the polls", referring to the poll from two weeks ago saying the Liberals would win

- Legault promises to put Marois government under "high surveillance" from behind pillar at back of National Assembly where CAQ will sit

- Marois becomes most feminine premier since Daniel Johnson

- Charest thanks Sherbrooke voters "for nothing"

- CAQ offical photographer relieved group photo won't be as challenging as anticipated

- Bureau-Blouin, student protest leader elected for PQ, now wishes he could have his summer back

- Quebecers have spoken: "We want nothing in particular"

- Liberals, 2nd place with 46 seats, claim a moral loss

- Wave of momentum lifts CAQ to distant third

- Quebec solidaire elect both their half-leaders

- Jean-Martin Aussant still confident of participating in Leaders' Debate

- Green Party happy that no one wasted paper by marking their ballots for them

- Race to replace Charest begins by people trying to think if they can remember the name any other Liberal

- Legault says he cannot remeber speaking or meeting to a "Dr. Barrette"

- PQ minority - Marois "thrilled and relieved not to have to deliver any election promises"

Congratulations pour into Francoise David for not being Amir Khadir

People continued congratulating Quebec solidaire co-spokeswoman Francoise David for her debate performance on Sunday, saying her performance was the most unAmir Khadir-like presentation ever given by the party.

"Francoise, it was wonderful to hear you sounding relevant, competent and not a flake... no offence, Amir," said a David supporter at QS who noticed that Khadir was also in earshot.

Debate watchers gave David particular credit for talking about Quebec-related issues and for not getting arrested during the entire two hours.