Amid a crisis surrounding the Quebec mayor-led tram project and a difficult economic environment, Bruno Marchand’s popularity has plummeted and nearly half of citizens want change at City Hall.
Red lights turn on on Mr. Marchand’s dashboard. Just over a year ago, he received support comparable to that of his predecessor, Régis Labeaume, and 67% of citizens said they were satisfied with his work.
According to a new Léger-Le Journal survey, this figure fell to 47%. “This is a pretty significant decrease since last year,” says Cyntia Darisse, vice-president of Quebec at Léger.
Mr Marchand now has 47% dissatisfaction. Trust also fell from 69% to 45%.
In addition, almost one in two citizens want a change in City Hall (48%), while 29% want Mr. Marchand to remain in office.
“Gloom”
According to Christian Bourque, Vice President of Léger, these results are linked to the “context of gloom” and are particularly evident among 35 to 54 year olds, especially men, a group more prone to being “angry”. , especially because life is expensive.
But the tram project that the mayor supports is “inextricably linked to these results,” analyzes Mr. Bourque. “There is a perception that the mayor is the ball carrier of the big tram project. And if we’re not happy, we blame the mayor.”
The poll was conducted October 19-26, before recent revelations about skyrocketing streetcar costs and Bruno Marchand’s proposed $8.4 billion Plan B, but while the megaproject was already badly treated in public opinion . Support for the streetcar is also at 36% and stands at 36%.
No intention to vote
The pollster warns that one should not come to the conclusion that the desire for change leads to voting intentions. At half-time it is still too early to say where the voters’ decisions will go, says Léger.
The poll also shows that the leader of the official opposition, Claude Villeneuve, is failing to achieve good results or rely on the mayor’s failings. Almost 27% are satisfied with their work and 48% are dissatisfied. A quarter of respondents refused to answer or said they didn’t know.
Priority files
For the first time, the three priority issues for citizens are all related to the economy: housing, city finances and taxes, emphasizes Christian Bourque. On the other hand, public transport does not belong to the top group, “even if we just talk about it”.
On the other hand, Quebecers are generally proud of their city, especially the older ones. This pride weakens among the 35 to 54 year old group, who are also less likely to believe that everything is going well. “In Quebec there is something with the 35 to 54 year olds who are more gloomy and pessimistic,” points out Mr. Bourque.
METHODOLOGY
Web survey conducted by Léger among 500 Quebec respondents from October 19 to 26, 2023. It has a margin of error of 4.4% in 19 out of 20 cases.
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