Quebec byelections will put new PQ leader, CAQ's identity politics to test

The new leader of theParti Quebcois,the Coalition Avenir Qubec's decision to zero inon identity politics and the Liberal government's track recordwill all be put to the test in four byelections being held today across the province.

Voters in Verdun,Arthabaska, Marie-Victorin and Saint-Jrme will head to the polls.

Saint-Jrme has been vacant since former PQ Leader Pierre Karl Pladeau's resignation earlier this year, while Marie-Victorin was held by former PQ MNABernard Drainville.

Verdun, a long-time Liberal stronghold, waspreviously held by the Liberals but cabinet minister Jacques Daoustresigned in Augustamid controversy over the approval of the sale of Rona.

The riding ofArthabaska needs to be filled following thedeath of IndependentMNA Sylvie Roy.

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Here are four things to watch out for by the time the night is over.

Is the CAQ's identity message resonating?

The third party has focused a lot of energy on taking the role "defender of Quebec identity" from the PQ.

They have hammered home their identity platform all session. The CAQ proposedvalues test for newcomers, fiercely opposesto the province's religious neutrality billand suggests decreasing immigration levels.

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It culminated in this advertisement released by the party on social media,claiming the PQ and the Liberals support teachers wearing chadors in the classroom.

The question isare these messages resonating with the publicand if so, in what way?

The Lise effect?

Jean-Franois Liseis the PQ's third leader in the last six years. That kind of instability is never good for a party, but a new leader can also bring momentum to the PQ and a chance to turn the page.

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Lise has held the job for under two monthsso the jury is still out. However, he is sharper when questioning the premier in the National Assembly than hispredecessor Pladeau.

It has been tough for the new PQ leader to pin down a stance on identity and that has created an opening for the CAQ to fill. Lise is trying to appeal to his base while at the same time building the image of a party more open toQuebecers of all backgrounds and origins.

Lise ran a leadership campaign taking a hardline on identity, only to immediately admit after winning that he will have to re-adjust in order to build consensus among his caucus colleagues who disagreed with him.

However, he recentlyproposedteachers and daycare workers in the group of public servants in positions of authorityshould not be allowed to wear religious garb. It goes a step further than what he pitched during the PQ leadership race and the party's failed secular charter.

Monday's results could give us more of a sense of how Quebecers perceive the PQ's new leader and his direction for the party.

Liberal reinvestment vs. Liberal ghosts

After two years of difficult austerity measures, the Couillard government announced $135 million foreducation and health care.

However, the ghosts of Liberals past continue to haunt Premier Philippe Couillard. The latestemerged from a Radio-Canada investigation raising questions about the connections between former Liberal fundraisers and people who worked for the provincial agency in charge of the government's real estate.

Whenever these questions come up, Couillard stresses that they didn't happen on his watch. This has been the premier'snever-ending struggle: communicating his government's accomplishments while a cloud of ethical questions from the past hover above.

The latter often steals the spotlight.

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Future electoral alliances?

Lise suggested teaming up with Qubec solidaire in certain ridings where the two parties split the vote and fielding a common candidate in order to pick up Liberal seats in the next election.

His suggestion in October for such an alliance in the Verdun byelection fell flat. Qubec solidaireresented the fact that the made the public suggestion without consulting the partyfirst.

Qubec solidaire has since consulted with its members andagreed to start talks with the PQ, Option Nationale and other progressive social movements about whether they can form some sort of electoral alliance.