Jean Charest has been lucky during his quarter-century in politics.

His first notable bit of luck came in 1990 as a Progressive Conservative in Ottawa, when the surprise resignation of then-PC cabinet minister Lucien Bouchard released Charest from the purgatory of the back benches to take over Bouchard’s newly vacated environment portfolio. At the time, Charest was grappling with the fallout of having been demoted from the cabinet of former prime minister Brian Mulroney earlier that year for phoning a judge.

In his second political career, as a Liberal in Quebec City, Charest has been written off many times, only to emerge on top again. Agility may be his saving grace. In Charest’s 2003 provincial election debate, he exploited a gaffe that day by former Parti Québécois premier Jacques Parizeau. Unaware of what Parizeau had said, then-PQ premier Bernard Landry was caught flat-footed and lost the debate, momentum and the election.

Exactly one week before the 2007 Quebec election, which Charest came close to losing, the federal government offered him a $700-million windfall. Charest immediately handed over the $700 million to voters.

Calling a snap election in late 2008, against the advice of his caucus, Charest won back the majority he had lost in 2007: in his 20-month minority government, he had avoided all decisions that might erode his popularity.

But after seven years in power, Charest’s luck may now be running out. Voter dissatisfaction with Charest is approaching 80%. If an election were held now, the PQ would win easily. Not because of its sovereignty goal — which remains its main priority — but because it offers a governing alternative.

The most serious blow to Charest came recently, when it came to light that Tony Tomassi, his affable but often bewildered minister of the family, had bought gas with a Petro-Canada credit card paid for by BCIA Inc., a private security company now under creditor protection. Montreal-based BCIA had received financing from Quebec, including $4 million in investments from two regional development funds, that was meant to help outlying regions of the province.

The PQ had already amassed evidence that Tomassi’s ministry had doled out subsidies to select private daycare operators, which in turn made donations to the Liberal party.

Since last fall, the PQ Opposition has been calling on Charest daily to hold a public inquiry into Quebec’s construction industry, spurred by an investigation by the Radio-Canada TV network that found extensive corruption.

With Charest already on the ropes over the construction industry allegations, daycare accusations and his unpopular budget, as well as proposed hikes in taxes, tuition, electricity charges and user fees for health care, Quebecers have taken to the streets in anti-Charest demonstrations.

On top of all that has come new allegations by Marc Bellemare, Charest’s former justice minister. Bellemare served in Charest’s cabinet for slightly less than a year. Among other allegations, Bellemare says he had complained to Charest when he was justice minister that he was being overruled by Liberal fundraisers. Charest denied that Bellemare had warned him and Bellemare has responded by calling the premier a liar. Charest has fired back, launching a personal $700,000 lawsuit against Bellemare and naming Michel Bastarache, a former Supreme Court of Canada judge, to head a public inquiry into Bellemare’s allegations.

“It ain’t about me,” Charest told reporters. “It’s about the judicial system and the integrity of the government.” IE