The Caquistes linked their first drop in the polls in five years on Wednesday to the effects of the abandonment of the road tunnel between Quebec and Lévis, while the Parti Québécois, whose rise is confirmed, presented itself as the alternative to the government.
The Deputy Premier and Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, did not comment directly on the drop of 14 points measured in the region of Quebec by the most recent opinion poll by the firm Léger.
“We said openly that we understood that there are disappointed people, it’s normal, we will continue to work hard every day for our citizens,” she said on her way to a caucus of the caquiste deputies.
Fellow infrastructure minister Jonatan Julien, responsible for the Quebec region, pointed out that the last two weeks have been difficult since the government announced that the third link would be devoted to public transport, due to data showing a drop. road traffic.
“I’ve been going to activities for two weeks and I share a disappointment with some fellow citizens because we had this project at heart,” he said. The data tells us that’s not reasonable. »
Predictable
MP for Beauce-Nord, Luc Provençal, estimated that it is still too early to know if this decline will continue.
“It was predictable, we’ll live with it, there’s no problem,” he said.
Mario Asselin, who represents Vanier-Les-Rivières, in Quebec, for his part saw the effect of five years in power, for the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ). “I am not surprised because five years have passed, it is normal that there is a little movement”, he analyzed.
Another elected representative from the Quebec region, Jean-François Simard, MP for Montmorency, said the results show that the electorate can turn away from the CAQ.
“There is one thing that is fundamental in politics, it is never to believe that things are acquired,” he warned.
Published Wednesday, a Léger-TVA Nouvelles poll shows that support for the CAQ has dropped by 4% across Quebec, from 40% in February to 36%.
In the Quebec region, the impact is greater. The CAQ tumbled to 26%, against 40% support in the previous probe.
MP for Abitibi-Est, Pierre Dufour welcomed the results with some hindsight. According to him, there is no need to panic.
“Three and a half years before an election, I think we have to take it easy,” he said. It’s a first setback, you know there are issues, we saw it with the Quebec section and the third link. It sure has an impact. »
Trend for the PQ
Second in voting intentions behind the CAQ in all of Quebec, the Parti Québécois is also the second choice of voters in the capital region.
The PQ leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, said that this new poll shows a trend that places his party as the alternative to the government party.
“What we can say without being mistaken is that there is real potential at the level of the Parti Québécois at the national level,” he said.
According to Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon, the effect of the positions taken by the PQ, which presents itself as a party of conviction, explains this rise, which credits its formation with 22% support across Quebec and 26% in the capital region.
“I was also talking about doing politics differently from the perspective of having convictions,” he said. It came out in the oath to the king, but in the campaign. »
Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon remained cautious when questioned about the effect of the sovereignist convictions of the PQ, which has three MPs.
“You have to be careful before drawing all kinds of conclusions. I think people have often told all three of us that they appreciate seeing politicians who have convictions. »
The survey was conducted over the Internet between April 28 and 1er May with 1,201 respondents, with an oversample of 200 people in the Quebec region.
Not shocked
The opinion poll shows that Quebec solidaire (QS), with 16% support, and the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), with 14%, have been treading water since the last February measurement by Léger. This is also the case for the Conservative Party across Quebec, which obtains 10% support. However, Éric Duhaime’s training is progressing in the Quebec region, going from 17% to 23% since February.
Co-spokesman for QS, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois affirmed that his party still has three years between now and the next elections to improve its position.
“We are the only party since the last election to have made a gain,” he said. We did it in the Montreal region. That, I think, shows that we are still a political force that is capable of making gains at the moment. »
QS’s goal is to break into the regions, he stressed. “We are aware that this is a challenge that must be met and we are already working on it,” he said.
Liberal MP André Fortin, for his part, attributed his party’s situation to the fact that the party is still waiting for the leadership race that will allow it to define its orientations.
“We are a party which, Quebecers know, which had disappointing results during the last campaign, he explained. And, unlike the Parti Québécois, the fact that we have an interim leader, the fact that our race has not yet started, means that there are no great ideas that are put out in the public square. So I’m not particularly, shall we say, shocked. »