How a powerful Legault government could face pushback from the opposition and beyond

Despite winning a commanding majority Monday, the Legault government will face plenty of opposition, and not just from the three other parties in the National Assembly. 

Advocacy groups and municipal leaders are likely to clash with Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), and the government is already facing a number of court challenges for laws passed in its first term. 

A substantial portion of the population — just under 60 per cent of those who cast a ballot — voted for a party other than the CAQ.

But with the CAQ's stranglehold in the legislature, with 90 of a possible 125 seats, how effective will any opposition to the government's agenda be?

The Quebec Liberal Party will once again form the Official Opposition in the legislature, a crucial role meant to hold the government to account. 

Prof. Daniel Béland, director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said the Liberals can be effective — even if they only have 21 seats, down from 27 at dissolution.

"Opposition is not just about the number of seats that you have," he said in an interview.

"If it's well organized, if they push the right buttons, and if the government makes mistakes, they can actually play a major role."

Béland said the Liberals, as well as Québec Solidaire and the Parti Québécois, will need to "exploit the mistakes of the ruling party" and make them known through mainstream media and on social media platforms. 

He also said a large majority such as the one the CAQ now enjoys is a "double-edged sword," given that there will be MNAs who had hoped for a cabinet position left on the back bench.

"These people might be frustrated because they don't get a seat at the table that matters the most," he said.

The opposition is divided, with three parties holding a total of 35 seats. A fourth party, the Conservative Party of Quebec, didn't win a single seat despite getting 13 per cent of the popular vote — nearly the same percentage as the other three losing parties. 

Université Laval political scientist Prof. Valérie-Anne Mahéo said the opposition parties may need to form alliances — either informal or formal — to take on the CAQ on certain issues they deem to be a priority.

But since only the Liberals meet the bar set for being officially recognized as a party — 12 seats or 20 per cent of the vote — the National Assembly would have to bend the rules to allow QS and the PQ resources. In 2018, an agreement was reached that allowed them status, which means more speaking time and research budgets.