Methodology and sources

The process

1. 01

   Collect the official sources

   Campaign website pages, programs and official documents are downloaded, converted to text and dated. When a website cannot be reached, we use the copy archived by the Internet Archive, and we say so.

2. 02

   Extract the proposals

   Each concrete measure is extracted with a word-for-word quote of the passage it comes from and its location in the document (chapter, section or page).

3. 03

   Reword them consistently

   Each proposal gets a short title and a statement built the same way: an infinitive verb, the object of the measure and its size in figures when there is one. Rewording never adds anything that is not in the original text.

4. 04

   Classify them by theme

   Proposals are classified in a shared taxonomy of eight themes and their sub-themes, the same for every program.

5. 05

   Match comparable proposals

   Proposals that answer the same question (for example the retirement age) are linked to the same issue, then to a position. A neutral summary describes agreements and disagreements.

6. 06

   Check every quote automatically

   An automatic check makes sure that every quote appears word for word in the archived source, and that every text exists in French and English.

7. 07

   Keep it up to date

   Sources are downloaded again regularly: the ones that changed are detected, then the related proposals and comparisons are reviewed.

Our principles

• Every rewording links back to the exact passage of the official document it comes from.
• Rewordings and summaries are factual: they neither judge nor label the proposals.
• Candidates are listed in alphabetical order, until the official ballot order is known.
• Party colors only appear as a small swatch. Agreements and disagreements are never shown in red and green.

Limits

Many candidates have not published a full program yet. In that case, we present their first official proposals, or failing that their party's official documents, and we say so. Very long programs are presented as a selection, extended with each update.

All the sources

Grouped by publisher.