Despite devastating poll, Quebec Premier Legault confident he’s here to stay

Quebec Premier Francois Legault responds to the Opposition during question period, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024 at the legislature in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot / The Canadian Press)

Despite a devastating poll, Premier François Legault is confident that he will lead the CAQ troops into the next electoral battle in two years' time.

Asked whether he still had the confidence of Quebecers, Legault avoided answering the question directly.

“I guarantee you that I will be the leader of the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) in 2026 for the election campaign,” the premier said on Tuesday in the National Assembly on his way to question period.

A poll published on Monday in the magazine “L'actualité” showed that a majority of Quebecers (53 per cent) believe that Legault should resign before the next election. Only one in five respondents said they were satisfied with his performance.

Asked whether his leader was still the right man for the job, Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette replied that Legault was “the most competent person for the job.”

The CAQ leader won a second majority mandate in 2022, when his party won 90 of the 125 seats. For more than a year, however, the CAQ has lagged behind the Parti Québécois (PQ) in opinion polls.

According to poll aggregator Qc125, if the election were held today, the PQ could take 73 seats compared with just 7 for the CAQ.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 3, 2024.