- BREAKING NEWS - 2026

DEBATE NO. 2 - Alone Against Everyone...  By Bernard Bujold -  The second debate of the QUÉBEC 2026 election campaign, presented by NOOVO TV (BELL) yesterday, Wednesday, September 16, showed that Christine Fréchette is somewhat alone against everyone…  If there’s one takeaway from the second debate, it’s that the question at the ballot box could very well be: “Do you want to re-elect the former CAQ government, or do you want to take a chance on Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon and the threat of a possible referendum?” It’s worth noting that none of the other three leaders, aside from Fréchette, really wanted to aggressively attack Plamondon over his referendum during the second debate. Fréchette did try to get the other leaders to attack Plamondon, but none of them went along with it, and even Milliard declined the invitation, telling Fréchette that he would address the referendum issue directly with Plamondon and that they should return to the topic currently being discusse...

DEBATE 1 - QUÉBEC 2026  By Bernard Bujold -  We can conclude that the clear winner last night, September 15, in the first of three debates leading up to the October 5 election was Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon, who had everything to lose since he is leading in the polls. According to a TVA poll conducted after the debate, 38% of viewers felt that Plamondon had performed the best and had demonstrated that he possesses the qualities needed to serve as Quebec’s premier.  The loser was Christine Fréchette, who was targeted by the other four candidates and was on the defensive throughout the debate.  What does Mark Carney think of the debate? He’ll have to find an ally other than Fréchette to keep the Parti Québécois leader in check, as the party could win a majority or at least dominate the National Assembly alongside Ruba Ghazal.  What would Pablo Rodríguez say? “If I’d been there, I would have done much better than Charles Milliard…”  The second debate is tonig...

THE ART OF DEBATE -  By Bernard Bujold-  Clearly, the three debates among the five candidates vying for the position of Premier of Quebec in the 2026 election could be very decisive, especially given how close the candidates are in the polls.  Personally, most of the elections I’ve observed have often been decided by a single line delivered during a debate.  In 1984, Brian Mulroney knocked John Turner out of the running with his line, “You had a choice!” regarding Pierre Trudeau’s political appointments before he stepped down as prime minister. Brian won 211 out of 282 seats—a historic record for the largest number of seats in Canadian political history.  In 2015, Justin Trudeau dominated Stephen Harper and Thomas Mulcair during a debate, which secured him a minority government.  In 2020, Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump due to Trump’s poor performance in a debate overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2024, Donald completely ridiculed Biden, who appe...

SERGE LOSIQUE (1931–2026) - THE GLORY OF CINEMA  By Bernard Bujold -  Our friend Serge Losique has left us. I really admired him, and he brought Montreal its moments of glory in cinema. In my opinion, the World Film Festival was just as significant as Expo ’67. However, he was too set in his ways and would not accept any opinion that contradicted his vision. That can become dangerous for one’s survival, especially if, on top of that, one doesn’t know how to surround oneself with people who can protect you. For example, Pierre Péladeau was just as combative as Serge, but he knew how to surround himself and always had a very close circle of people that his enemies couldn’t penetrate. But in the end, Serge was Serge, and the adventure of his Festival enjoyed its moment of glory before fading into the shadows of memories of a bygone era.  See full story  www.lestudio1.com

SELLING A CONDOMINIUM IN 2026—  By Bernard Bujold —  Many people have asked me how my faithful companions and I experienced the recent sale of our city condo!  Real estate is a financial investment, but with the difference that you can’t cash it in whenever you want. You have to wait for the right moment, and that can take anywhere from two weeks to two years…  In our case, the process was complicated because we wanted to sell but didn’t want to leave the city due to professional obligations.  In real estate, the agent acts as an advisor, but doesn’t make decisions for the owner, who must choose whether to sell with or without renovations; set the asking price based on market comparisons; and negotiate offers from potential buyers—if there are any—since it’s possible that no one will show interest (no fish on the hook)…  Renovating a condo for sale is a complicated decision to evaluate because, while renovating will speed up the sale, in 90% of cases, the b...

THE DREAM OF FLYING...  By Bernard Bujold -  On September 11, 2001, I was in the midst of a professional upswing, having just taken on the role of communications director for Air France in Canada. It was a wonderful new challenge for me, following a career in politics (Brian Mulroney) and finance (Quebecor), especially since Air France was planning to expand the Canadian market to France by doubling the number of daily flights.  I remember that sunny fall morning as I waited in the restaurant of the Montreal tower where Air France had its Canadian offices. When I saw one of the planes crashing into the World Trade Center on the restaurant’s TV, I thought it was the trailer for a new fiction movie. Reality surpassed fiction...  All of Air France’s projects in Canada were shelved, and for me, that marked the end of the aviation dream. One great consolation: I wasn’t in one of the towers in New York that morning of September 11, 2001…  www.lestudio1.com

MARK CARNEY IS WORRIED…  By Bernard Bujold—  If Mark Carney watched the special program aired by Radio-Canada, "Cinq chefs,une élection", he must be worried… In fact, none of his favorite candidates performed well, and the big winner, in my opinion, is Paul-Saint-Pierre Plamondon…  Current Prime Minister Christine Fréchette was nervous and tried to avoid answering questions by changing the subject. Charles Milliard would have been the most skilled if this had been a debate, as he continually attacked Christine Fréchette—just as one does in a debate. He was aggressive, but he didn’t use the platform to showcase himself and raise his profile, as he should have. Éric Duhaime was the most candid of the five leaders; he didn’t hide his weaknesses but highlighted his strengths. Ruba Ghazal was the most likable of the group, but she showed a touch of wishful thinking when she declared she was convinced she would form the next government with a majority… In the end, it was Paul ...

MARK CARNEY IS WORRIED…  By Bernard Bujold—  If Mark Carney watched the special program aired by Radio-Canada, "Cinq chefs,une élection", he must be worried… In fact, none of his favorite candidates performed well, and the big winner, in my opinion, is Paul-Saint-Pierre Plamondon…  Current Prime Minister Christine Fréchette was nervous and tried to avoid answering questions by changing the subject. Charles Milliard would have been the most skilled if this had been a debate, as he continually attacked Christine Fréchette—just as one does in a debate. He was aggressive, but he didn’t use the platform to showcase himself and raise his profile, as he should have. Éric Duhaime was the most candid of the five leaders; he didn’t hide his weaknesses but highlighted his strengths. Ruba Ghazal was the most likable of the group, but she showed a touch of wishful thinking when she declared she was convinced she would form the next government with a majority… In the end, it was Paul ...

THE POWER OF POLITICS-  By Bernard Bujold -  With the Quebec provincial elections just a few weeks away, a question arises: What draws candidates to politics? It’s a job that pays little and demands a great deal of time, and there’s no such thing as loyalty.  Personally, I was introduced to the world of politics through Brian Mulroney in 1984, but I also experienced the world of business and finance through Quebecor and Pierre Péladeau in 1991. I quickly realized that political power is an illusion and that true power lies in finance.  With Brian, whenever we walked down the street, everyone treated him as if he were their employee… When Pierre Péladeau was around, people viewed him as a kind of god and believed that the chance to speak with him would bring them wealth… (a Chinese belief that touching gold makes one rich).   Pierre Péladeau never wanted to go into politics, and he often told me that true power lies in finance. There are many reasons why ...

VISITING THE NEW CONDO...  By Bernard Bujold -  My friends Donald and Mark really love my new city condo (an urban pied-à-terre in Old Montreal). I have to admit I won them over by showing around my workspace, where I’d placed a photo of each prominently on my coffee tables. Ulysse keeps a watchful eye on the photos...  The challenge: how to have two political opponents in the same room! The answer is simple: politics is nothing more than theater. The real reality lies behind the curtain, and in the end, we’re always surprised to find that what we see on stage is an illusion…  Happy Labor Day—2026 edition.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JXx4JKMMHtj1s6w26GX3bgU3f15zihue/view?usp=sharing