The hill to climb is already steep for the CAQ, with a L\u00e9ger poll this week<\/a> putting the Legault-led party in last place, tied with Qu\u00e9bec solidaire with only nine per cent support. In a second poll, however, that number climbs to 16 per cent with Fr\u00e9chette as leader<\/a>. She is a strong candidate, and as acting premier for a few months, her gravitas would likely enhance heading into the October election.\u00a0<\/p>\n The second poll shows a Fr\u00e9chette-led CAQ eating into the support of Charles Milliard\u2019s Liberals, who had been tied with the PQ and steadily increasing its vote among the critical francophone electorate (up to 23 per cent.) \u00c9ric Duhaime\u2019s Conservatives, which had been in third place, also suffers a noticeable drop with Fr\u00e9chette on the scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the campaign, the PQ will undoubtedly relish quoting Drainville\u2019s characterizations of Fr\u00e9chette as soft on identity issues. Will this intuitively compel her into striking a more aggressive nationalist stance \u2014 thus potentially moving moderate francophone federalist voters back to the Liberals or Conservatives?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Milliard\u2019s path to victory is more complicated now with Fr\u00e9chette\u2019s arrival and Duhaime\u2019s party securing a seat in the National Assembly<\/a> thanks to a former CAQ MNA who has decided to join the Conservatives. The Liberals still trail the PQ among francophone voters by about 20 percentage points. With a crowded dance floor, how will Milliard narrow that margin?<\/p>\n Hopefully he won\u2019t fall into the trap of also playing the nationalist card, but instead position himself as the voice of reason focused on bread-and-butter issues \u2014 in contrast to the reckless adventure of a divisive referendum on independence that PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is promising at the worst possible time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n A native of L\u00e9vis, Milliard should be able to make a strong play in the Quebec\u00a0City region where Duhaime is strongest. His regional economic development initiatives must also take centre stage. And it\u2019s time to start trotting out some prominent francophone candidates and promoting a team \u2014 contrary to Duhaime and PSPP, who are seen as one-man shows. The Liberals\u2019 recent gains open the possibility for quality recruits.\u00a0<\/p>\n After next weekend, all the party leaders will be in place with less than six months before the election. Will our presumptive new premier be able to purge herself of the CAQ record and make inroads? Will the bruising she took from Drainville come back to bite the party, disrupting its unity and direction?\u00a0<\/p>\n These and many other questions, twists and turns are setting the stage for an intensely critical period in Quebec politics.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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