Legault says he's energized by public's disapproval of CAQ government
Quebec Politics
QUEBEC — Premier François Legault acknowledged Wednesday that the people are disappointed in his government, but insisted poor polling numbers inspire him to keep trying.
There was also a slice of good news for the Coalition Avenir Québec government on Wednesday: the Moody's credit rating agency opted not to downgrade Quebec's rating despite the province's projected historic deficit of $13.6 billion for 2025-26.
'I am well aware that many Quebecers are disappointed in our government,' Legault said Wednesday as he arrived for his last in-person cabinet meeting before the summer. 'But for me, it gives me energy. It makes me want to fight during the year and a few months that remain (before the next election) to deliver still more results to Quebecers.
'In October 2026, it will be up to Quebecers to decide if they want to keep me or not.'
Legault was reacting to a new Pallas Data/L'actualité/Qc125 poll showing the CAQ has placed third in voter support for the second time in two months. In the previous poll, done by Léger for Le Journal de Montréal in May, the CAQ was bleeding support to the benefit of the Parti Québécois.
The Pallas Data poll is different because it shows the CAQ losing support to the Quebec Liberals and the party's new leader, Pablo Rodriguez, who was elected to the top job Saturday. The poll was conducted just after Rodriguez won the leadership over second-place Charles Milliard.
According to the poll, the PQ still leads in voter intentions with 31 per cent, but the Liberals under Rodriguez are not far behind with 26 per cent, up four points from the previous Pallas poll in March.
The CAQ has fallen to third place with 15 per cent, 11 points less than the Liberals.
For the Liberals, this is the best poll they have had since 2022.
The Quebec Conservatives are fourth with 14 per cent and Québec solidaire is at 12 per cent.
The Pallas poll was conducted from June 14 to 16 and is based on a sample of 1,085 Quebecers.
The poll comes as Rodriguez is to meet Thursday with the entire 19-member Liberal caucus for the first time as leader. He will hold an afternoon news conference after the meeting.
Legault also got more bad news Wednesday: Quebec's anticorruption squad UPAC announced it conducted searches Wednesday of the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec's headquarters in connection with the SAAQclic fiasco, which the Gallant inquiry is investigating.
The CAQ government did, however, get one tidbit of good news as Quebec enters the summer holiday season: A second credit rating agency, Moody's, which is based in New York, has decided not to downgrade Quebec's credit rating.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Moody's maintained the rating at Aa2 with a 'stable' perspective.
'The stable outlook reflects our forecast that risks to the province's budget and fiscal plan are broadly balanced,' Moody's says. 'Despite the widening deficits in the near term, driven by the economic uncertainty of U.S. trade tensions, we expect the province's strong fiscal management will mitigate risks where possible.
'While the debt and interest burdens will rise, we expect they will remain with levels recorded by the province of the past decade.'
The Moody's decision to maintain Quebec's credit rating follows that of DBRS on June 9. DBRS decided to maintain Quebec's rating at AA (low) with a 'stable' perspective.
The two contrast with a decision in April by S&P, which lowered Quebec's credit rating from AA- to A+. It was the first time in 30 years that Quebec's credit rating was lowered.
The latest decision is 'a positive sign,' Finance Minister Eric Girard said Wednesday on his way into the cabinet meeting. 'If you look at Moody's, they took a long-term perspective. They recognized that the current situation is difficult, but they are more positive in the long term.'
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 3:42 PM.
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