For Quebec Liberals, a summer to recover from self-inflicted wounds

When the Quebec Liberals invoked closure to force a vote on its controversial Uber bill on Friday, it brought a merciful end to what was an interminable legislative session for the government.

The Liberals are limpingtheir way into the summer recess, following months oflegislative flip-flops, ethics scandals andindecorousoutbursts.

But most unsettling for the government anduplifting for the opposition is the extent to which its wounds have been self-inflicted.

An ethics commissioner's report that castigated former cabinet minister Sam Hamad (he was narrowly spared sanction), was executed at his own behest.

• SamHamadavoids ethics sanctions, but has dealings questioned
• Quebec Liberal rank-and-file rankled by government'sUberbill

The Liberal party's own youth wing rebelledpubliclyagainst Transport Minister Jacques Daoust'spro-taxi bill, convincing enough party members to pass a motion calling on the government to get with the times.

And then, of course, there was Robert Poeti,Daoust'spredecessor, offering asurprisinglyfrank assessment of a culture of corruption and intimidation that had taken root within the Transport department.

Poeti helped expose a pattern of stonewalling that met attempts to investigate irregularities in how the department handed outcontracts.

• PhilippeCouillardaccused of demoting RobertPoetifor flagging problems in Transport Ministry
• Quebec premier stands by transport minister despite 'extremely serious' revelations

He triggered a chain of events that led toDaoust firing his chief of staff,and provided fodder for opposition demands thatDaoust himself be turfed from cabinet.

With friends like these...

Opinion polling suggests that despite their missteps, the Liberals have avoided bleeding too much support. Moreover, the next provincial election isn't scheduled until 2018;plenty of time to right the ship.

But it is also possible that, several months down the line, Liberals will look back at the winter andspring of2016 as a missed opportunity.

Halfway through the session, after all, the Opposition suddenly found itself leaderless followingPierre Karl Pladeau's surpriseresignation.

The Parti Qubecois'attention was divided between the daily machinations of the National Assembly and the referendum-laced talk of its leadership campaign.

But the party managed more than a glancing wound when it produced the minutes of a meeting atInvestissement Qubecthat put to restDaoust's claim (noticea theme here) that he wasn't aware of the liquidation of Rona's stock while minister of economic development.

• Jacques Daoust denies knowledge of Rona stocks liquidation by Investment Quebec

• How many fires can Jacques Daoust fight before he gets burned?

The other troubling figure in recent polling data is the slight uptick registeredinCoalition Avenir Qubec Leader Franois Legault'spopularity.

His party seems to oscillate wildly between verging on extinction and being a serious alternative to the Liberals and the PQ. After a woeful series of months for the Liberals, the CAQ's fortunes swung back towards the latter extreme.

In short, while the Liberals may not have lost much support numerically, they failed to deliver a knockout punch as its opposition was swaying on the ropes.

The stakes going forward

As he approaches the twilight of his first term in office, Couillardfaces the challenge of establishing a more defined identity for himself and his government.

He made some attempts recently. He has calledhimself the "premier of education" at a party convention in May, and tried to point out last week thatthe economy has put up some better numbers under his tenure.

Couillard's arguments were muffled, though, by questions about what he plans to do with Hamadand how he will handle the problems within the Transport department.

The premier risks being seen as taking an ambivalent approach to tackling corruption within the government.

Daoust'sex-chief of staff, PierreOuellet, was initially reassigned to another ministry, before he left under further questions fromthe opposition.

Daoust, himself,has been accused of dithering while an independent investigator in the Transport departmentwas trying to flag concerns to his office.

The Liberals blocked attempts last week to call further witnesses before a parliamentary committee looking into the problems at Transport.

And Couillardclearly still has a soft spot for Hamad, calling him someone "fiercely dedicated to the population."

Jean Charest's own unwillingness to be more decisive in dealing with allegations of corruption in his government contributed to his defeat in 2012, and has dogged his reputation ever since.

Couillard, over the summer, has to decide whether he wants to beCharest2.0 or make a definitivebreak from the troubledpast of his party.

• Quebec passes law to regulate Uber