Parti Québécois continues to lead in polls as CAQ crashes

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon's Parti Québécois (PQ) has confirmed its lead in the polls again, at a time when support for the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) is melting like snow in the sun.

The CAQ has lost half its voters in 16 months, according to a survey of 1,175 respondents conducted on Jan. 24 by Pallas Data on behalf of Qc125 and L'Actualité.

François Legault's party now has just 21 per cent of voting intentions. In October 2022, the party easily won the general election with 41 per cent of the vote.

In comparison, the PQ -- which has only four members in the national assembly -- is currently favoured by 32 per cent of voters, according to Pallas Data, representing an 11-point lead over the CAQ.

The other parties are treading water: Québec Solidaire (QS) has 17 per cent of voting intentions, compared with 15 per cent for the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) and 12 per cent for the Quebec Conservative Party (PCQ).

On Dec. 6, Legault attributed his party's steep fall in the polls to three unpopular decisions, including raising MNAs' salaries by 30 per cent.

Respondents also criticized the subsidy granted to bring the Los Angeles Kings to Quebec City and the CAQ's dithering on the issue of the third Quebec-Lévis link.

"The third link, increases in MNAs' salaries, the Los Angeles Kings: it's a combination of factors," said Legault. "I always take full responsibility."

Since then, strikes in health and education have taken place and may have left their mark.

At the CAQ's pre-sessional caucus in Sherbrooke last week, Legault said he wanted to put an end to "distractions" and refocus on five priorities: health, education, the environment, the economy and identity.

The national assembly resumes on Tuesday.

• LISTEN on CJAD 800 Radio: Latest poll shows a big lead for the PQ over the CAQ

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 29, 2024.