With 10 days until the Quebec election and another poll putting the Parti Quebecois ahead of the pack, the governing Liberals could be heading towards the worst defeat in the party鈥檚 history.
The latest poll conducted by Léger Marking shows PQ Leader Pauline Marois ahead with 33 per cent of voter support -- enough to form a minority government. The CAQ followed with 28 per cent, which left the Liberal party trailing in third place with 27 per cent of voter support.
Liberal leader Jean Charest dismissed the polling results on Saturday.
鈥淯nreliable,鈥� Charest told CTV Montreal. 鈥淭hat's the least we can say about the polls.鈥�
However, one Liberal supporter said she鈥檚 not impressed with the way the Charest government has conducted itself in the past year.
鈥淵ou're kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place,鈥� said Gabriella Djerrahian. 鈥淵ou either vote for that again, or you vote for one of the other three that doesn't really represent the larger outlook that I have. So yes, it's definitely not going to be a comfortable vote for me.鈥�
While ahead in the polls, Marois downplayed a decision by former Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau to support the smaller Option nationale party, which presents itself as more committed to gaining the province鈥檚 independence from Canada.
Parizeau, who nearly led Quebec to independence in 1995, opted to make a $200 donation to the campaign of Jean-Martin Aussant, the head of the separatist party.
Option nationale has been polling at around two per cent province-wide.
Marois said that while she has "the utmost respect for Parizeau," she urged "sovereigntists and progressives" to unite under the PQ banner.
"I want to tell Quebecers that are listening, if you want to get back to the goal of creating a country, only a majority government can do it, a sovereigntist government of the Parti Quebecois," Marois said at a news conference Saturday.
Marois has not committed to a timeline for holding a referendum if the Parti Quebecois wins the next election. She also faced criticism this week for backtracking on a party pledge to automatically initiate a referendum if 850,000 Quebecers sign a petition.
Meanwhile, the Option nationale has said making Quebec independent is the party鈥檚 first priority.
"We are the only party right now with a clear message toward making Quebec a country," said Aussant in an interview.
André Juneau, the director of intergovernmental relations at Queen鈥檚 University, told 麻豆影视 Channel on Saturday that if the PQ wins the provincial election, the federal government would take a 鈥渨ait and see鈥� approach.
鈥淚f the international economy deteriorates as some data seems to suggest, all governments, including a PQ government in Quebec, will have to focus on the economy,鈥� said Juneau. 鈥淪o the kinds of demands that Mme Marois announced that she would make might not materialize right away.鈥�
Juneau said while there has been much talk of a potential referendum during the campaign, the parties should spend more time discussing their plans to work with Ottawa and other provinces to improve Quebec鈥檚 economy.
With a report from CTV Montreal鈥檚 Maya Johnson and files from The Canadian Press
