Sunday 17 March 2013

Phillpe Couillard New Quebec Liberal Leader

Seems the former health minister and buddy of Arthur Porter won on the first ballot.  Quebec Liberals now can take on the PQ, or so they think. 

Wonder if anything coming out of the Charbonneau Commission on corruption in the construction industry will have any effect on Phil's plans.  There may be dynamite coming...

1 comment:

CK said...

Actually, the last polls earlier this week indicated the status quo, pretty much with PQ at 31% PLQ at 30% and CAQ at 20% (though CROP had CAQ at 27%, so who knows?). Jean Lapierre actually believed that no one would be in a hurry to go to election any time soon.

What I think will happen is one of two things.

First Case scenario, and in part, less likely: Couillard gets a honeymoon in the polls. Though, he'll be busy and stuff. Right now, nothing much is exploding about the PLQ from Charbonneau. They're still discussing municipal politics and will be stuck on that for some time to come. So the timing would be good for him to pull the plug on Marois and PQ. Especially as she has a high dissatisfaction rate. She has got to be the least popular PQ leader since Andre Boisclair, maybe even less so than he. The advantage would be his. But that is a gamble, not sure if Couillard is ready to take at this time, especially if Quebecers decide a pox on both (PQ and PLQ) houses and decides to put Legault and CAQ in gov't.

2nd case scenario and, I think, most likely: Couillard and Legault are probably getting together for drinks or dinner and discussing coalition or at least, some kind of cooperation. Let's not forget that the PQ got in largely through vote splitting. CAQ was eating away at PLQ votes.

Also, if you recall shortly after last election, Francois Legault kind of tipped his hand a little too fast. He said that he wanted the PLQ to hurry up and choose their leader, otherwise he'd be forced to support the PQ's first budget.

I'd say the smart money is on coalition and it will be on the ready and they will find something quickly to bring down Marois and the PQ before the Charbonneau Inquiry starts concentrating its' energies on Provincial politics.