Coalition Avenir Qubec leader Franois Legault

Franois Legault is hoping voters see his newly-created Coalition Avenir Qubec (CAQ) as a "third way" for the province's future.

The former PQ cabinet minister and businessman generated months of media buzz when he launched CAQ in 2011 and merged with the now defunct Action dmocratique du Qubec.

Centre-right and moderately nationalist, CAQ is eyeing federalist and sovereigntist voters disillusioned with the governing Liberals and opposition Parti Qubcois.

Legault wants to shelve the sovereignty debate for least a decade to focus on economic prosperity.

His formula has attracted disgruntled PQ, Liberal and former Action Dmocratique du Qubec politicians who believe voters also have an appetite for political change.

Articulate, bilingual and affable, Legault, 55, has proven to be a popular leader in the polls and is frequently sought out as an economic critic in the public sphere.

But Quebec political observers say distinctions between CAQs platform and Quebecs right-of-centre Liberal Party policies are mostly shades of the same colour.

Legault supports the Liberals controversial tuition fee increases, wants to trim bureaucracy in health and social services, pay down Quebecs crippling debt and promote the French language and culture.

As a self-made multimillionaire, Legault espouses a political platform committed to developing an entrepreneurial economy.

Hes banking on the idea that economic prosperity appeals to all, regardless of nationalist leanings.

Whether Quebec voters and the CAQ itself can actually accept a moratorium on the emotional sovereignty debate remains to be seen.

Before the campaign began, Legault faced controversy. He flushed acandidate from the party roster in July afterthe candidate posted comments on Twitter linking sovereigntists and racism.

The sovereignty question mayturn out to bethe CAQs Achilles' heel.

From businessman to national assembly

Legault says as a child growing up in a modest home in Montreal's Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, he had a dream of becoming a millionaire by age 40.

A former accountant and auditor, Legault founded Air Transat in 1986 with two partners. He achieved his childhood goal by selling his sharesof the billion-dollar company in 1997.

He entered politics unelectedin 1998 when former PQ Premier Lucien Bouchard offered him a plum cabinet post as industry minister.

Legault won his first election later that year in Rousseau and was re-elected three times.

He sat as a PQ MNA from 1998 to 2009 holding the health and education portfolios in successive governments. When the PQ was ousted from power in 2003, Legault served as finance critic for the party.

He resigned from politics in 2009 to lay the groundwork for the CAQ alongside businessman Charles Sirois.

Legault hasled his nascent party since its official formation in November 2011without a seat at the national assembly. His caucus of nine independent MNAs includes ex-ADQ and PQ members.

By merging with the ADQ, Legaults CAQ has adopted some of the former partys more controversial policies, includingabolishing school boards and capping immigration.

Legault is married and has two children.