As the Parti Quebecois gathers in Shawinigan for its winter caucus meeting the shadow of former party leader Pierre Karl Peladeau is being felt.

Peladeau abruptly stepped down as an MNA and party leader in May 2016, less than one year after he was named as party leader, but it wasn't something he wanted to do: Peladeau was in a custody battle after splitting up with Julie Snyder, his common-law partner for many years whom he married in 2015.

"Now he says that his custody issue is resolved so it's entirely his decision to come back or not, so since the question is asked, would I like to have Pierre Karl Peladeau as part of my team? The answer is yes," said Lisée.

Since he stepped down Peladeau has funded an institute to research what could happen in an independent Quebec and in recent week has been making multiple political statements on social media.

Bernard Drainville, a former PQ cabinet minister who now works as a TV host on LCN, one of the networks owned by Quebecor, the media chain controlled by Peladeau, said that "Peladeau misses politics."

Lisée revealed that the PQ has been in contact with Peladeau about his eventual return.

"He knows this in private and now in public that if he chooses to come, the door is open," said Lisée.

This week the PQ launched a new advertising campaign aimed at portraying the difference between the PQ and other parties.

Lisée said the PQ would focus on creating a large government that is active in many aspects of the economy.

"This election is going to be between on one side the Liberals and the CAQ who want to weaken the state, who will create a situation of permanent austerity and the Parti Quebecois wants to have a stronger state, a flexible state, but in good shape to give services to the young, to elderly, to patients, to family," said Lisée.

That notion of a large, intrusive government is apparently at odds with Peladeau's vision. He recently criticized the provincial government's investment in Bombardier and its offer to help newspaper companies, and is also well known for helming lockouts at the Journal de Montreal and the Journal de Quebec.

Lisée has repeatedly said the PQ would not attempt to declare independence or hold a referendum on the topic in its first mandate, but would try to lay the groundwork to convince Quebecers to support independence in a second mandate

Meanwhile Lisée said he is not overly concerned about recent polls showing that Quebecers are largely supporting the Liberals or the CAQ, with PQ support steadily sliding.

"I'm not saying they're not showing the situation as it is. What I'm saying is that they are not good predictors of what will happen. If they were Tom Mulcair would be prime minister of Canada, Hillary Clinton would be president of the United States and a guy named Filion would be president of France," said Lisée.

"This election will be very tight. It's going to be a surprise."