Charest's opponents dismiss late campaign polls

Last Updated: Monday, December 8, 2008 | 6:47 PM ET

CBC News

Jean Charest's main rivals are deflecting opinion poll results that suggest his Liberals would have won a majority government had the Quebec election been held within the past week.

The CROP survey pegged Liberal support at 45 per cent, compared with 29 per cent for the Parti Québécois and 15 per cent for the Action Démocratique du Québec.

The Nov. 28-Dec. 3 poll of 1,001 respondents is considered accurate within three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

PQ Leader Pauline Marois said Friday the survey results are deceiving and don't reflect the swell of support the sovereigntist party sees on the ground.

She also says the PQ's internal polls suggest the party will make gains in several regions when Quebecers vote on Monday.

ADQ Leader Mario Dumont says with three days left in the campaign, there's enough time for his party to make a comeback.

Dumont said support for the ADQ should not be underestimated.

Dumont said he doesn't believe the polls suggesting he is trailing his main opponents, even if events scheduled so far during his final campaigning blitz have been poorly attended.

At a breakfast rally in Berthierville in the Mauricie on Friday morning, 32 people showed up. Dumont said that was to be expected.

"We're in the middle of the morning, so a lot of our supporters are at work," he told reporters.

"Some of them have some free time for us this morning [because they are retired], but our volunteers have been on the ground day after day on the campaign, and they'll work hard until Monday night."

Dumont says he's still hoping that people are angered by the snap provincial election call by Jean Charest and his Liberal party.

The ADQ is focusing on reaching out to middle-class families.