PQ to Try to Topple Charest Government

Pauline Marois says she will present a non-confidence motion in Québec’s National Assembly over the premier’s refusal to call a corruption inquiry.

Pressure has been building on Jean Charest to set up a public inquiry into corruption in the province’s construction industry. The public largely supports an inquiry and Charest’s popularity has plummeted on the perception that he’s soft on graft. Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois is now poised to make a power play, presenting a non-confidence motion that she could win if as few as three Liberal MNAs don’t turn up for the vote. Charest’s Liberals hold 64 seats in the 125-member house, but the premier and two of his ministers will be in France next Wednesday when the vote is held, leaving a slim margin of error for his government.