The Liberals have pulled ahead of the Bloc Quebecois among Quebec voters for the first time in five years, a new poll has found, which bodes well for the Grits as they try to shore up support in the province before the next federal election.
According to the La Presse/CROP poll, the Liberals have the support of 37 per cent of Quebec voters, up seven per cent from one month ago, while the Bloc sits at 31 per cent, down four per cent.
The Conservatives are in a distant third at 15 per cent support, down three per cent from a month ago. The Tories were at 22 per cent after last fall's election.
The NDP are at 12 per cent, which is unchanged.
The poll's findings suggest that Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff's efforts to reach out to Quebec voters have paid dividends.
In late March, Ignatieff made an impassioned speech to the party's Quebec wing, telling delegates that Quebecers don't have to choose between their Quebecois and Canadian identities.
"Give us the chance to prove what we can do for Quebec, for your families, for your neighbours, for you," Ignatieff said during the Mar. 22 speech in Laval, Que.
"Let us prove that there is no contradiction between your Quebec pride and the grand and beautiful experience that is Canada."
Ignatieff has spoken at length about his family's deep ties to the province, where his Russian grandparents settled in the 1920s.
In a push to build on the 14 of 75 federal seats his party won in the last election, barely ahead of the Conservatives' 10 seats, Ignatieff promised Quebecers more influence in Ottawa.
"Quebecers do not deserve to be in a permanent opposition in Ottawa. Their place is in power," Ignatieff said.
Quebecers appear to like what they hear from the Liberal leader.
The poll found that 45 per cent of Quebecers believe Ignatieff would be the best prime minister, up 10 percentage points from one month ago.
In contrast, only 17 per cent of voters believe Prime Minister Stephen Harper is the best man for the job.
The telephone survey queried 1,000 people from April 16 to 26. The margin of error is three per cent, 19 times out of 20.
