François Legault is on the ropes. Much like Justin Trudeau a year ago, he’s making one last desperate attempt to stick around. Legault has announced there will be a major cabinet shuffle that he hopes will change his government’s fortunes.

It’s not likely to work for him any more than it did for Trudeau, but Legault is still the boss and for now he gets to decide. Trudeau wound up announcing his resignation just weeks after his cabinet shuffle last December.

The major difference is that there was open rebellion against the immensely unpopular Trudeau whereas Legault isn’t challenged within the CAQ, because he is the CAQ.

Last week’s disastrous byelection results saw the CAQ receive only seven per cent of the vote in a riding (Arthabaska) where they got a massive 52 per cent in the general election of 2022.

Legault won’t be forced out but, unless things change, he will choose to leave before the party he founded gets wiped out at the polls.

Much has been written recently about a supposed surge in the support for sovereignty among younger voters. Don’t believe that one for a second. While younger Quebecers today feel the same sense of pride in their roots as previous generations, when asked a clear question as to whether they support a leap into the void with the breakup of Canada,........

© Montreal Gazette