New political party coming to Quebec?

With the premier embroiled in scandal and voters weary of the separatist debate, there are rumours of a new federalist movement.

There is a trend in Quebec politics which often sees voters choose leaders not based on who they want, but who they do not want. The traditional choice is between the federalist Liberals and the separatist Parti Quebecois, and with Premier Jean Charest facing several corruption allegations observers have predicted the PQ will win the next election basically by default. But many Quebecers aren’t keen on reigniting the sovereignty issue, and former PQ minister Francois Legault is rumoured to be concocting a federalist, centre-right alternative. The Action Democratique du Quebec tried a similar pitch but were trounced in 2008 because voters thought they lacked the experience to govern, something political veteran Legault can’t be accused of.