Few Quebecers believe Legault’s promised cabinet reshuffle will change things

While Premier François Legault hopes to give his government new momentum by reshuffling his cabinet, fewer than one in four Quebecers believe this game of musical chairs will have a real impact.

According to a new Léger poll conducted for Quebecor Media, only 23 per cent of Quebecers believe Legault’s promised cabinet reshuffle will give the CAQ government new momentum.

Conversely, 58 per cent of those surveyed said they do not expect Legault to succeed in revitalizing his government with this practice.

Legault has already begun meeting with some of his ministers in anticipation of this reshuffle, which is expected in the coming weeks.

Since his party’s resounding defeat in the Arthabaska byelection last week, the premier has repeated that he will demonstrate “humility” and “listen” to Quebecers.

According to the Léger/Québecor poll results, Quebecers are especially hoping that Geneviève Guilbault and Bernard Drainville will change portfolios.

More than half of respondents (52 per cent) said they want Guilbault to leave the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility. Less than one in four respondents want her to keep this position.

As for Drainville, 48 per cent of participants said they want him removed from the Ministry of Education, compared to 29 per cent who hope to see him continue in his term.

Respondents were more likely to want Christian Dubé, in health, Sonia Lebel, at the treasury board, and Simon Jolin-Barrette, in justice, to retain their current responsibilities.

Overall, the proportion of respondents who said they were dissatisfied with the Legault government’s performance continued to rise. It stood at 67 per cent, up from 65 per cent in June.

Nearly half of the respondents (49 per cent) want Legault to step down as leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec, while 26 per cent of participants said they hope he stays on.

Legault maintains that he will be a contender in the 2026 election.

The PQ gains support

In terms of voting intentions, the Parti Québécois maintains its lead. It now garners 35 per cent of support, up five points from the June poll.

The Liberal Party, for its part, lost two points and received the support of 26 cent of decided voters.

No change for the Coalition avenir Québec, which remains at 17 per cent of voting intentions.

The most significant decline occurred within the Conservative Party camp, which saw its support drop four points to 10 per cent.

Québec solidaire brings up the rear, with its support remaining stable at nine per cent.

The Léger/Québecor poll was conducted online from August 15 to 18 among 977 Quebecers.

Since it was conducted online with a panel, it is impossible to assign a margin of error. For comparison, the maximum margin of error for a sample of 977 respondents is ±3.1%, 19 times out of 20.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews