The prospect of Pablo Rodriguez propelling the Liberal Party into the race to obtain power in 2026 does not worry the CAQ government of François Legault.
“We’re not afraid of anyone!” Minister Bernard Drainville said on Wednesday, reacting to the most recent Léger poll published in the pages of the Journal. The order was given.
After losing a few feathers during the summer, the Parti Québécois is once again widening its lead at the top of voting intentions. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon regained the points lost during the summer and sits at 32% support. The needle has not moved for François Legault (24%), who occupies second position ahead of the Liberals.
But the Reds could completely shake up the political scene with a new leader. With Pablo Rodriguez as leader, the Liberals would obtain 28% of support by siphoning off all political parties. In this scenario, the PQ would only collect 26% of the votes, one point more than the CAQ.
Asked to comment, the Minister of Public Safety indicated that he also did not fear the federal MP and former minister in Justin Trudeau’s government. “I’m afraid of no one,” argued François Bonnardel.
The CAQ deputy for Beauce-Sud, Samuel Poulin, does not feel the breath of the PLQ on his neck either.
“I feel a lot of liberals with me,” he replied. I’m afraid of no one, we do our job, we take care of Quebecers, it’s the daily lives of Quebecers that concerns me. In Beauce, things are going very well, we are very present.”
The PQ encouraged
PQ MP Pascal Bérubé did not want to talk about Pablo Rodriguez and a scenario that would propel the PLQ into the lead.
“We are always in first place. We have just moved up three points, the party which is making progress. We are in a position that encourages us for the future. It shows that the efforts that the four of us make with our small team are producing results. “It doesn’t guarantee anything for the future, but I’d rather be in our situation than that of others,” he said.
The member for Matane-Matapédia still said that he did not know many citizens who would switch from the PQ to the PLQ.
“There are disappointed liberals who went to the CAQ. There are disappointed PQ members who went to the CAQ. Disappointed PQ members who went to the CAQ, then who are disappointed, who return to the PQ, that also exists. But someone who hesitates between the liberal heritage and then the heritage of René Lévesque should be introduced to me.”
The wind of the identity right
Ranked fourth with 14% of voting intentions, Québec solidaire recognizes that the current global context is not favorable to left-wing parties.
“We can look at the polls all over the world, for the left, we (knew) it when we created this party, and I am a founding member, that the wind was going to blow strong, the wind from the right, from the right-wing identity is very, very strong, but that does not prevent us from remaining focused” on “what concerns Quebecers,” argued solidarity MP Ruba Ghazal.