BURST
The Parti Québécois, which has dominated opinion surveys for three years, is now in a dead heat with the Quebec Liberals, while support for Quebec sovereignty, the party’s political raison d’être, has reached a historic low, a new poll suggests.
The Léger online survey, conducted for the Québecor media group, found that the PQ and Liberals are in a dead heat for overall voter support, respectively polling 31 and 30 per cent. The findings suggest a one-point drop in support for the PQ since January, while support for the Quebec Liberals, who saw Charles Milliard acclaimed as their leader in mid-February, increased by four points.
The PQ can take some solace from a 20-point lead among francophone voters, the sector of the provincial electorate that decides elections. Yet the poll’s findings on support for Quebec sovereignty, the centrepiece of PQ leader Paul St. Pierre Plamondon’s political agenda, are devastating.
Asked how they would vote if a referendum on sovereignty been held last weekend, 71 per cent of respondents said they would vote No, while 29 per cent said they would support independence. Pollsters said it is the lowest level of support for Quebec separation they have recorded since the 1995 referendum on independence.
It is the second time in a week a survey has suggested support for sovereignty is plummeting and that the gap between the Liberals and PQ is narrowing.
The PQ continues to enjoy 39 per cent support with francophone voters, compared with 19 per cent for the Quebec Liberals.
Meanwhile, overall support for the remaining provincial parties suggests the coming general election in October will be a two-way race, although some of the remaining parties may play the role of king-maker or political spoiler.
The governing Coalition Avenir Québec is at 13 per cent, two points behind the Conservative Party of Quebec, while Québec solidaire remains mired in last place, with nine per cent.
Asked which party leader best personified change, the PQ’s Plamondon led the pack with 22 per cent, compared with 16 per cent for Liberal Leader Milliard, 12 per cent for Quebec Conservative leader Éric Duhaime, 10 per cent for CAQ leadership candidate Christine Fréchette (compared with just one per cent for her leadership opponent Bernard Drainville) and seven per cent for Ruba Ghazal of Québec solidaire.
The online survey of 1,021 Quebec adults was weighted to reflect the province’s population. It was conducted Feb. 27-March 2. Margins of error cannot be assigned to online polls.