” Not trustworthy “. ” Disorganized “. Jean Charest and Philippe Couillard each had their expression to attack François Legault.
In 2012, Mr. Charest managed to hurt him. But in 2018, Mr. Couillard did not frighten the population. He relied on fear of the unknown, but voters ultimately felt it less than disgust at a party they knew too well.
But where the Liberals failed, the third Québec-Lévis road link could succeed. The abandonment of this flagship promise marks a small breach in the CAQ armor. And with wear, the fault lines threaten to slowly spread.
After having governed for nearly five years, Mr. Legault can no longer claim to lead a new party. The years in power begin to weigh on him. This accumulation explains why the abandonment of the third link hurts him, as the recent Léger poll proves.
This file condenses the criticisms heard for other projects of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ). Seniors’ homes are a dream, but one wonders if some of the money wouldn’t be better invested elsewhere, such as in home care. And even if 4-year-old kindergartens will help young people in difficulty, was this flagship commitment unrealistic? Or again, what was the value of the word given for the reform of the voting system?
These ideas were selling, but were they too messy? How far were we willing to go to win?
Those who rejoice at the abandonment of the third road link are also asking these questions.
The Léger poll looks like a Polaroid of people with smoke coming out of their ears.
The sounding was carried out a week after the abandonment of the third road link between Quebec and Lévis. It’s a snapshot of local anger, and the next election will be over three years from now. Caution is therefore required before venturing into seat projections.
Nevertheless, something happens. This is the CAQ’s worst result since 2018.
After his landslide victory in October, Mr. Legault’s entourage recognized that the 41% of votes constituted a ceiling. Sooner or later, the party would lose altitude. However, the decline was faster than expected.
Even if Éric Duhaime is the only one still selling the dream of a third road link, he is not the one who benefits the most from the local CAQ tumble. Nothing suprising. After all, the Caquists are sworn enemies of the Conservatives. There is no bridge between them.
The disappointed caquistes did not go much to see on the side of the solidarity. And even less among the liberals. It is the Parti Québécois (PQ) that is tempting them, for the time being, at least. An unexpected turnaround for them.
Last summer, the PQ macerated in the cellar, with only 8% support. Its leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon (PSPP) had a good campaign. Enough to get elected, with the help of the withdrawal of his solidarity adversary surprised to steal an electoral leaflet.
Thanks to its authentic style, PSPP has saved the furniture. The harvest was all the same the worst in the history of the party: three deputies in the National Assembly.
Since then, the modest ascent has continued. The PQ leads in funding, both in number of donors and in loot.
His opponents reply that PSPP had the easy part. In the lowlands of the polls, his proposals were less scrutinized. That could change, as he now hits the pay zone of 20% support in the population.
However, the rise of the PQ remains fragile. A variation of two percentage points would suffice for the party to remain the least represented in the National Assembly. And if PSPP continues to surprise, it will face the dilemma of its predecessors. The higher they rise in the polls, the more seriously their desire for independence will be taken. This is the ceiling that the big names in the party have already banged their heads on.
For the liberals, the ordeal continues. The party has become marginal with Francophones and the regions. Since sovereignty is no longer at the heart of the debates, he no longer knows how to define himself. If this diagnosis is consensus, no one has found a cure. And Liberal MPs are digging their own hole by wanting to erase the term “woman” from a bill on surrogacy.
The Liberals are so bad that the PQ are sad. They would like the reds to eat away at a few votes from the Caquists in order to sneak in between them.
Solidarity is also trampling. Their victory in the Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne by-election can be explained in part by the Liberal defeat. Elsewhere, the needle does not move. They stick to their pet files and take few risks to woo new voters. It is as if they are waiting for time to do its work – young people support them more and are more seduced by their environmentalist and diverse discourse.
As for the curators, one would think that Mr. Duhaime listens to Fox News and then offers a homemade translation the next day. Drag queens may excite its most angry activists, but the rest of the population doesn’t care.
This disappointing choice explains the rise of the PQ and the position of strength that the CAQ nevertheless retains.
Although his popularity is declining, Mr. Legault remains in an enviable position. Few politicians in the country would not want to be in his shoes. At the moment, at least.