Pauline Marois is betting her young leadership of the Parti Québécois on her ability to push the province closer to independence without resorting to a referendum.

A bellicose Marois announced Wednesday she will ask PQ members to free the party from a commitment to hold a referendum soon after an election win.

A PQ government would instead adopt a policy of "national governance" to gradually free the province from Ottawa's grip.

"I am freeing myself from shackles in proposing … that we suspend the obligation to hold a referendum in the first part of a mandate," Marois told reporters in Montreal.

The proposed policy includes taking a series of steps to claim additional powers for Quebec, such as adopting its own constitution and creating its own citizenship.

A PQ government under Marois would also foster a "national conversation," or provincewide debate, about the merits of independence.

"National governance will ensure Quebec gains powers so that on all fronts, we occupy as much space as possible up until we are sovereign," Marois said.

Quebec Liberals accused Marois of hiding the PQ's true intentions behind benign-sounding rhetoric.

"Mrs. Marois doesn't have the courage of the Jacques Parizeaus and René Lévesques before her to tell us there will be a referendum and what the timetable will be," said Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Benoît Pelletier.

"This is a process that is not honest enough."

The Marois proposal represents a major policy shift for the PQ and would require the party to rewrite the hallowed "Article 1" of its program.

The party beefed up the resolution to hold a referendum in the first mandate of a PQ government at a party convention in 2005, during which then-leader Bernard Landry resigned over a low approval rating.

'It's a good move': Dion

In Ottawa, of all places, Marois's plan received a somewhat more favourable reception.

"I think it's a good move," Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion told reporters after a caucus meeting.

"I think a responsible secessionist leader should not rush to a referendum, should first build strong support, a clear majority for separation and once it's done, it's time to go to a referendum."

Marois had warned PQ members of her intention to put a referendum on the back burner when she took over the party last year.

That and her recent comments supporting bilingualism have provided fodder for hardliners unhappy with Marois's vision of a mellower, more voter-friendly PQ.

She will have to convince them of her vision ahead of a three-day convention that begins March 14.

"We support the initiative of a popular citizens referendum," said Pierre Dubuc, who heads a militant wing within the PQ.

"We'll examine the proposals and decide what to do next week."

The move to take talk of a referendum out of the PQ's platform is unlikely to be met with significant resistance by party faithful.

Marois brings party back to 2nd spot

Since taking over the PQ following its dismal third-place finish in last year's election, Marois has guided the party back into second place in most opinion polls.

Some 600 disgruntled sovereigntists recently formed a new party called the Parti indépendantiste.

With Marois's leadership barely nine months old, the PQ can ill afford to have another leader pushed overboard.

Marois has sounded an aggressive tone over whether her party will support the minority government's upcoming budget, while the party's riding associations have been ordered into pre-election mode.

"It's [Premier Jean Charest] that makes the decisions," a coy Marois said recently.

The provincial budget will be tabled on March 13.