Libman: Only certainty in Quebec election is uncertainty |
Whoever coined the term “six months is an eternity in politics” knew what they were talking about. Again this week we see how political landscapes can undergo tectonic shifts.
Sometimes a fresh face is needed to resuscitate the fortunes of a party in distress. Voters often tire of their government during its second term. It seems almost impossible for any administration these days to be perceived as making change for the better. Disenchantment ultimately focuses heavily on the leader who wears the badge of their administration’s failures.
If that leader leaves and a credible alternative emerges, as did Mark Carney for the federal Liberals, replacing an unpopular Justin Trudeau, voters may seemingly forgive, forget and give a second chance. When the Trudeau Liberals were trailing the Conservatives by some 20 points, no one thought it possible that the party would win the election months later.
In this province, most pundits had been administering last rites to the Coalition Avenir Québec led by François Legault. Almost eight years in power with........