A caucus revolt threatened to eject Pauline Marois from the leadership of her Parti Québécois in 2011.

Gilles Duceppe was waiting in the wings after his Bloc Québécois crashed and burned in the May 2011 federal election.

But Marois hung on and, just as Duceppe was about to make his move early in 2012, a story mysteriously emerged that the Bloc had misused House of Commons funds to run its Montreal party office.

Duceppe was out.

Marois hung in through the student revolt against the Liberal government’s proposed tuition hike in the spring of 2012, siding with the students and wearing their red campaign ribbon. Liberal premier Jean Charest tried to make that support an issue in the Sept. 4, 2012, election, suggesting Marois favoured anarchy, violence and mob rule.

But Marois won that election, forming a minority government with just 0.7% more votes – but four more seats – than the Liberals.

The first year for Marois in power can best be described as chaotic. On one hand, Marois took bold action. On the other, her unskilled ministers made gaffe after gaffe.

Marois kept her promises to shut down Quebec’s only nuclear reactor and to end support for asbestos mining.

In November 2012, the Marois government presented its 2013-14 budget early, ensuring the leaderless Liberals would not defeat her.

PQ Finance Minister Nicolas Marceau promised to maintain the Liberal plan to balance Quebec’s budget in 2013-14. But then, during his November 2013 budget update, Marceau admitted there would be a $2.5-billion deficit in the current year and a $1.75-billion shortfall in 2014-15.

Meanwhile, the PQ’s Bill 14, which intends to extend the charter of the French language to small businesses, was opposed by both business and union groups and went nowhere.

Then, in a cynical, masterful stroke, the Marois government presented its Charter of Quebec Values, known as Bill 60. That bill has polarized Quebecers perhaps even more than the tuition conflict.

Despite opposition from prominent PQ supporters, including three former PQ premiers, Bill 60 has turned things around for Marois and the PQ. Younger Quebecers, who are not assiduous voters, and Montrealers, who vote disproportionately for the Liberals anyway, tend to oppose or are indifferent to the charter.

But older voters, who do vote, and people living in regions where the kippas, turbans or hijabs that Bill 60 would ban are seen only on television, tend to favour the proposed charter.

Now, the polls have turned around to favour Marois, with projections that the PQ has a chance to form a majority government in the upcoming election.

Philippe Couillard, who succeeded Charest as Liberal leader, may be on solid legal ground in opposing the charter, but that position pays no political dividends. And his dithering has cost him support.

Now that Marois has the voters’ attention, she has switched her tactics, talking about jobs and the economy in a campaign she could win handily.

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