The PLQ says it feels a craze for the party

Photo: Adrian Wyld The Canadian Press According to the Léger poll, Pablo Rodriguez would be leading the race for the leadership of the PLQ with a third of the votes, against 14% for the former mayor of Montreal Denis Coderre.

Patrice Bergeron – The Canadian Press in Quebec City

Published yesterday at 6:15 p.m.

• Quebec City

Encouraged by the latest Léger poll, the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) says it feels a “passion” in its favor among the population.

According to this Léger opinion poll published in Quebecor media on Wednesday, a PLQ led by former federal minister Pablo Rodriguez would be first in voting intentions, but if elections were held now, it would be the Parti Québécois (PQ) that would form the government.

The few CAQ members who commented on the poll suggested that they were continuing their work and that the next general election was only in two years.

“I’m not worried at all, there’s plenty of time left,” commented the Minister Delegate for the Economy, Christopher Skeete, before heading to his caucus meeting.

The needle would therefore move if the activists choose Mr. Rodriguez at the end of the race in June 2025: the Liberals led by Mr. Rodriguez would garner 28% of voting intentions, against 26% for the Parti Québécois, while the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) would come in just behind.

“We can see that there is enthusiasm, people are following the next race with great interest,” commented Liberal parliamentary leader Monsef Derraji.

He reacted cautiously, without favouring one candidate over another, given the duty of neutrality imposed on him by his role as a parliamentary officer.

However, he said that on the ground, the rooms were filled with supporters during about ten regional conferences organized by the training.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

“People want to get a membership card because they think they will have a say in choosing the next leader of the Liberal Party. And let's not hide it, Quebecers also want a leader of the Liberal Party who probably risks being the premier of Quebec.”

Also read

• Pablo Rodriguez launches in Quebec to counter the CAQ and a new referendum

Rodriguez well ahead of Coderre

Léger also surveyed more specifically those who identify as liberals. A third of them would favour Pablo Rodriguez, against 14% for the former mayor of Montreal Denis Coderre, 6% for Marc Bélanger, 5% for Charles Milliard and only 1% for the deputy Frédéric Beauchemin.

Former president of the Fédération des Chambres de commerce du Québec, Charles Milliard already has the support of three Liberal caucus MPs, André Fortin, Madwa-Nika Cadet and Virginie Dufour, compared to just one for Mr. Rodriguez (Désirée McGraw), but he does not seem to be gaining support from activists.

“He [Charles Milliard] is starting out in politics,” Mr. Fortin argued in a press scrum to justify his low percentage of support.

Mr. Fortin assured that he made the right choice with Mr. Milliard because he brings “renewed economic leadership, a little different. His professional career brings something different to the PLQ.”

But if a general election were to take place now, with the forces present, the poll gives the PQ the win for the umpteenth time in a year, since practically the complementary in Jean-Talon.

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon's party would thus collect 32% of the vote, against 24% for the CAQ, 17% for the Liberals of interim leader Marc Tanguay, 14% for Québec solidaire and 12% for the Conservatives of Éric Duhaime.

“The Parti Québécois is clearly in the lead, indeed Pablo Rodriguez could change things, but there is no certainty, that does not mean that it is he who will win,” commented PQ MNA Pascal Bérubé, in a press scrum.

“But there, I will not find that it is negative that we are in first place currently,” he added.

The CAQ have been rather laconic about the poll for their part. “We govern, we work every day to improve services to Quebecers,” said Mr. Skeete.

“There are still two years left, we are working hard,” said the CAQ MNA for Lac-Saint-Jean, Éric Girard, one of the rare CAQ elected officials who ventured to comment on the poll that was rather unfavorable for his party.

This Internet survey was conducted between Friday and Sunday of 1,041 Quebecers aged 18 and over, recruited randomly from an online panel.

The margin of error cannot be calculated from this type of sample, but for comparison, the maximum margin of error for a sample of 1,036 respondents would be plus or minus 3%, 19 times out of 20, Léger said.