Lucien Bouchard Comeback Would Alter Quebec’s Political Scene
If the former premier formed a new political party, he would position himself as the top political force in Quebec.
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(02/20/10) -
If the former premier formed a new political party, he would position himself as the top political force in Quebec.
Former Premier Lucien Bouchard has the potential to drastically alter the Quebec political landscape if he decided to create a new political party, a new La Presse / Angus Reid Public Opinion survey has found.
The online survey of a representative sample of 804 Quebecers finds that a new, Bouchard-led political party would garner the support of 31 per cent of decided voters, compared to 28 per cent for current premier Jean Charest’s Liberal Party of Quebec, and 24 per cent for the Parti Québécois, currently led by Pauline Marois.
Bouchard—who made headlines this week with pointed comments about sovereignty, reasonable accommodations and what he described as a radicalization of the Parti Québecois—also tops the list when Quebecers are asked who would make the best Premier.
Slightly more than one-in-four respondents (27%) say Bouchard would make the best Premier for Quebec, compared to 19 per cent for Charest, 15 per cent for Marois and four per cent for the leader of Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ) Gérard Deltell. A quarter of Quebecers (26%), however, respond that none of these politicians would make a good premier.
A Comeback for Bouchard?
A return to Quebec politics for Bouchard would draw supporters from all three main political parties, with the greatest percentage coming from the diminished ADQ. Yet despite the goodwill of a clear segment of the population, almost half of Quebecers (48%) don’t believe Bouchard should in fact create a new political party.
The survey also explored support for specific comments Bouchard made during a televised appearance discussing the future of Quebec politics. More than three quarters of Quebecers (78%) agree with him that sovereignty is not something that will be achieved in Quebec for a number of years. An equally strong proportion (75%) agree that there are other more pressing concerns to attend to in Quebec than sovereignty. Appetite for another referendum remains low in Quebec, with a majority (58%) saying they would not want another province-wide vote to be held, while 35 per cent say they would favour having one.
On this issue of the PQ’s radicalization over reasonable accommodation, Quebecers are more evenly split. A plurality ( 42%) agrees with Bouchard 36 per cent disagree. It is worth noting however, that a third (34%) of respondents who voted for the Parti Québécois in 2008 agree with the statement that the PQ has adopted a radical stance on reasonable accommodations.
However, when it comes to whether the burka should be banned in Quebec, Bouchard appears to be in the minority. Only 23 per cent of respondents agree that the burka should not be banned compared to 71 per cent who feel it should be banned.
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