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Parti Quebecois Worries Students From Outside Quebec Trying To Steal Election

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MONTREAL - The Parti Quebecois says it's worried students from Ontario and the rest of Canada are trying to steal the provincial election.

The PQ called a news conference Sunday morning to express concern about media reports of English-speakers and other non-francophones from outside the province trying to vote in the April 7 election.

PQ candidate Bertrand St-Arnaud wants the province's chief electoral officer to closely examine attempts to register to vote.

"We don't want this election stolen by people from Ontario and the rest of Canada," St-Arnaud said.

Another PQ candidate, former student leader Leo Bureau-Blouin, added he wants to ensure the election is decided by Quebecers.

"We want to make sure that it's Quebecers who choose their government and we want to make sure that the chief electoral officer takes the measures that are needed," he said.

"We are concerned by the fact that many, many people who are not registered on the list want to be registered."

The comments come after the head of an electoral office for a downtown Montreal riding, Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques, resigned on Friday over concerns about the registration process.

Mathieu Vandal told Montreal's Le Devoir newspaper there had been an increase in the number of non-francophones trying to register and he wasn't confident voters were being properly screened.

There have been numerous reports recently of English-speaking university students trying to register to vote in the election.

Some students have complained they were turned away even though they believed they had the necessary documentation.

Quebec's French media has tended to focus on a possible influx of non-francophone voters from elsewhere in Canada.

St-Arnaud said he found a report in Sunday's Journal de Montreal particularly troubling. It described an attempt by "hundreds of Ontario students" to vote against PQ leader Pauline Marois.

Quebec's chief electoral officer issued a statement on Saturday clarifying the rules.

Spokesman Denis Dion said voters must be Canadian citizens and have lived in Quebec for six months, and have the intention of making Quebec their home.

He said officials also take into account other evidence, such as proof of a bank account in a Quebec institution, a Quebec health insurance card or driver's licence, or a Quebec income tax return.


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