At the end of the day, it was bound to happen. It took only a year. The odds of PKP leading the Parti Quebecois into the next election were slim.

Pierre Karl Peladeau and politics was never a good match.  The fiery businessman with a short fuse never was able to put his boardroom persona aside. Although he seemed to be finding his stride at times, he was not a coalition builder and often seemed annoyed at criticism. He was not a natural politician by any means.

Despite everything, despite the unpopularity of Liberal measures, he couldn’t move the numbers.  At midterm, the Liberals continue to lead in the polls. His popularity in the firmament of the Quebec star system was enough for him to sweep to victory in the PQ leadership but Quebec voters were more skeptical.

His raison d’etre was Quebec independence and he seemed at times to be a one-trick pony: all separation, all the time. For the vast majority of Quebecers, the question for nationhood is not a front-burner issue.

Then there was the share controversy. PKP would not sell his majority ownership of the largest media empire in Quebec. He preferred to put his Quebecor ownership into a blind trust. But that was never a realistic solution. The trust was never blind. And it was an issue that would have come back again and again. There was a clear and present conflict of interest. You cannot have the owner of a media powerhouse sitting as premier of Quebec.

Many politicians quit over so called family reasons. It’s a good excuse that can cover many bases. In this case, I suspect it is true. And no one can fault him when it’s about his children. One may not agree with Peladeau on many fundamental issues, but his pain today was obvious and heartfelt and on a human level, it is hard not to feel empathy.   

So where does this leave the state of Quebec politics? The Liberals liked having Peladeau in place because they knew he would make sovereignty the ballot question in 2018. They liked his volatility. They liked his lack of experience.  For the PQ, time is short. Two years is not a lot of time to pick a new leader, and prepare for an election.  The party is not flush with cash. For the CAQ, this is perhaps a window of opportunity to prove they do belong in prime time. 

So it’s yet another chapter in the Shakespearean tragedy that is the Parti Quebecois. Their white knight has fallen on his sword. And now the search will be on for the next savior. It was not Bouchard, nor Parizeau nor Peladeau. Who will be next? And perhaps for this party, will it even really  matter?