Above Watch: Pierre Karl Péladeau admitted he was full of nerves on Tuesday as he took the reins of his party. The media mogul promised the PQ would focus on the economy, but it’s PKP’s stance on sovereignty that had people talking. Caroline Plante reports from Quebec City.
MONTREAL — A new Leger Marketing poll has revealed a surge in popularity for the Parti Québécois with its new leader, Pierre Karl Péladeau.
READ MORE: PKP-led Parti Québécois would not beat Quebec Liberals: poll
The online poll, which surveyed 1,002 Quebecers over the age of 18, was conducted May 16 and 17 for French newspapers Le Devoir and the Journal de Montreal.
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When asked which of the party leaders would make the best Quebec premier, the PQ’s newly elected leader took the lead at 30 per cent, with the Liberal Party’s Philippe Couillard getting 20 per cent (down 3 per cent from April 2015) and the Coaltion Avenir Quebec’s François Legault clocking in at the same 17 per cent.
A look at which party leader is considered the best Quebec premier:
| May 2015 | April 2015 | |
| Philippe Couillard (Liberals) | 20% | 23% |
| Françoise David (Québec Solidaire) | 9% | 11% |
| François Legault (CAQ) | 17% | 17% |
| Pierre Karl Péladeau (PQ) | 30% | — |
| Other | 4% | 10% |
| None | 10% | 16% |
| I don’t know | 9% | 14% |
| I prefer not to respond | 1% | 2% |
After he was elected as leader of the PQ, Peladeau’s pro-independence stance on Quebec’s sovereignty was reiterated during his election speech.
“It is in all our interests to place the superior interest of Quebec above our personal ambitions,” he said.
“The great coalition for independence must be reborn.”
READ MORE: Marois regrets bringing up ‘R’ word during election campaign
The Leger poll suggested that support for sovereignty remains steady at 42 per cent.
| Total | Francophone | Non Francophone | |
| For | 42% | 51% | 9% |
| Against | 58% | 49% | 91% |
The poll’s margin of error is 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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