The government has been on the grill for several weeks about the circumstances surrounding the tragedy at CHSLD Herron. Not to mention the increasing hospitalizations and the wearing of a face covering that drags on in Quebec, while it has disappeared elsewhere in the country. Far from paying the price, the troops of François Legault have even inflated their support since last month to reach 44% of the vote, reveals a Léger poll carried out from April 14 to 17.
“It’s a period that smiles at the CAQ,” notes the executive vice-president, Christian Bourque.
Of course, the unveiling of the budget, which included a $500 gift to help citizens deal with rising housing and grocery prices, certainly didn’t hurt. Nor was the by-election in Marie-Victorin won by the government candidate.
“The CAQ plow, at 50% of the French-speaking vote, will go pretty well everywhere,” predicts the pollster.
And less than six months before the elections, the Legault government can count on a fragmented opposition.
The PQ and the PLQ are at their lowest
Dominique Anglade’s Liberal Party continues its steady decline and only attracts 17% of voters.
“With 11% of the French-speaking vote, we are starting to look at the fingers of our hands and tell ourselves how many counties we can hope to win or hope to keep,” underlines Mr. Bourque.
The same persistent tumble at the Parti Québécois falls below the 10% support mark.
Mathematically, with such figures, the PQ of Paul St-Pierre Plamondon could end up with ten deputies… or none analyzes the pollster.
“Since 1976, the two major parties have never had such low scores,” he said.
This is what allows Québec solidaire to grab a point to climb to 15% support from the population.
The only cloud on the horizon for the CAQ is conservative. Eric Duhaime’s support is firm, while more than 70% of his supporters have no intention of changing their minds before the October 3 election.
In the Quebec region, a fertile territory for the Conservative Party, the former radio host solidifies his second position.
“There may be members of the CAQ at the moment who should have a little difficulty sleeping, underlines Christian Bourque. They’re going to get heated in some counties.
The pandemic is not over
Eight out of ten Quebecers, however, believe that the pandemic is not over and no less than 73% of people surveyed will continue to wear the mask most of the time or occasionally in public places even if the measure is lifted.
Data that could also mean that the conservatives have reached their growth potential, for now.
Quebecers are fairly divided on who is responsible for the tragedy that led to the death of 47 residents of the private CHSLD Herron in Dorval in inhuman conditions.
If one in four people point the finger at the government, many condemn the owner of the residence or the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.
Is the CAQ government doing well under the circumstances? That tells us yes so far, ”says the pollster.
