(Quebec) The Parti Québécois (PQ) declares that it is now “the second political force in Quebec”, while a new poll once again places the political party led by Paul St-Pierre Plamondon in second position in terms of voting intentions at the provincial level.

This survey, conducted for TVA between April 28 and May 1 by the firm Léger, assesses the impact of the Legault government’s abandonment of the highway tunnel project between Quebec and Lévis on public opinion.

In the greater Quebec City region, the decline of the CAQ is significant: the party of François Legault goes from 40% in voting intentions (results of a poll in February 2023) to 26%. He is now overtaken by the PQ, who sees his score increase by 20 to 28%.

“We are not first, but we are serious and we are patient. […] The last time the Parti Québécois was ahead in the National Capital Region, Noir Silence was in first place on the charts, ”said PQ MP Pascal Bérubé with humor.

Meanwhile, Éric Duhaime’s Conservative Party does not seem to benefit from the abandonment of the third link, even seeing its voting intentions fall from 23 to 17%.

Provincially, the CAQ remains in first place in voting intentions, at 36%, but it loses 4 percentage points compared to the February poll. The PQ remains in second place, at 22%, an increase for its part of 4 percentage points.

“You can see a trend over a year and I think it speaks to the potential of the Parti Québécois,” said PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.

This new Léger poll is not encouraging for the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), whose voting intentions are stagnating at the provincial level (14%). André Fortin, whom many see as a potential candidate to succeed former leader Dominique Anglade, takes notes on the successes of the Parti Québécois, according to what is measured by the polls.

“The Parti Québécois […] had the chance to reflect on who they are. He had the chance to go through difficult periods where they questioned themselves, where they had obvious changes of direction and today to focus on what they have identified as their priority. A leadership race is going to allow us to do that to the Liberal Party and send a clear message,” he said.

Mr. Fortin also wants the Liberals to unveil the rules for the next party leadership race at their national council later this spring. While his party recently created a think tank to redefine what a liberal is in 2023, the latter is already presenting a reflection on the subject.

“I think the Liberal Party can bounce back. The Liberal Party, if it clearly conveys its values, if it talks about its priorities, if it has a clear mandate to offer Quebecers, it has an undeniable opportunity to bounce back,” he said.

For his part, the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire (QS), Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, whose political party is also treading water in voting intentions (it went from 17 to 16% from February to the last sounding), the next real test for political parties is in 2026, during the election.

“What the Third Link saga teaches us is that throwing empty promises is a bad idea. It’s not just a political mistake, it’s not good for the trust people should have in political institutions,” he said.