Poll: Quebecers think Legault should step down before an election

Premier François Legault may say he plans to run for a third mandate, but three quarters of Quebecers polled think he needs to leave before the next provincial election.

In a SOM poll commissioned by La Presse, 31 per cent of respondents said Legault should step down before the next provincial election in 2026. Out of those polled 43 per cent said he should finish his mandate and then step away from politics. That represents 74 per cent of respondents who want Legault gone before the next provincial election.

Only 16 per cent of respondents said he should run again in 2026.

Those aged between 25 and 34 years old are particularly critical of him, nearly 80 per cent said he should step down now or at the end of his mandate.

Legault brushed off the poll numbers Wednesday morning, saying the real verdict will come at the ballot box, not in public opinion surveys. Speaking to reporters at the National Assembly, he said Quebecers will have their say when they head to the polls in a year.

“I will continue to fight to defend (Quebec) values,” the premier said. “It will be up to Quebecers to choose their premier and their government in October 2026.”

When it comes to Legault’s performance, 60 per cent of those polled said they were unsatisfied with his personal performance, 15 per cent said they were satisfied. The remaining were undecided.

Numbers were similar for his party’s performance, 57 per cent of respondents said they were unsatisfied, while 13 per cent said they were satisfied by the CAQ’s performance. The rest were undecided.

The survey also asked who should replace Legault, both Sonia Lebel and Simon Jolin-Barette had 14 per cent support, followed by Christian Dubé and Geneviève Guilbault sitting at 10 per cent. However, 36 per cent of those polled said they didn’t know.

When asked who would make the best Premier for Quebec, a quarter of respondents chose Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. Legault came in second place at 14 per cent, followed by Quebec Liberal leader Pablo Rodrigez sitting at 12 per cent.

PQ spokesperson and MNA for Îles-de-la-Madeleine Joël Arseneau said Wednesday morning that the results speak to a trail of broken campaign promises and cuts to essential services he said are driving the backlash.

“People see that there have been multiple commitments that have not been fulfilled, broken promises and, of course, a catastrophic economic situation,” services that are not being provided.” he said. “People feel like they are paying without getting the services they are entitled to expect in terms of education and so on.”

The poll was conducted online from October 8 to 12, 2025, with a sample of 1,058 Quebec adults registered with SOM’s internet panel. The results were weighted to reflect the main sociodemographic characteristics of Quebec adults. For reference, the maximum margin of error for a completely probabilistic sample of the same size is ± 3.5%, 19 times out of 20.