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It's crunch time for Pierre Karl Peladeau.

The potential PQ leadership candidate said he has no plans to sell his controlling stake in the Quebecor media empire, but with the PQ leadership campaign about to start, Liberals say that he has to make a choice -- and soon.

Peladeau, who is the favourite to win the campaign, is keeping to his Quebecor fortune even if it could hurt his chances.

Tuesday, the Liberals added to growing pressure on PKP to choose.

It's not normal for someone to think that he can be premier of Quebec, leader of his party, and at the same time leader of the information in Quebec, said MNA Jean-Marc Fournier, the government house leader.

The PQ race is about to start, with all eyes on PKP.

It's his first test in fact, said Fournier.

Premier Philippe Couillard warned the PQ not to apply a double standard to protect Peladeau. In 2009, Liberal minister David Whissel quit his cabinet post under PQ pressure, saying his family-owned asphalt firm was a conflict of interest.

How would they react to his case of a family-owned business, which I respect, which is the case, compared to the way they have approached other examples? he said.

The PQ's interim leader Stephane Bedard said PKP is following the rules as MNA.

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Liberals, CAQ push PKP to sell Quebecor shares

Support for the federal Liberal party is continuing to slide, a new Forum Research poll shows.

The poll, released Monday as the House of Commons debated a motion to send Canadian fighter jets to Iraq, found 38 per cent support for leader Justin Trudeaus Liberals, compared to 34 per cent for the Conservatives.

Thats a sustained drop for the Liberals, who were ahead by six points in September (40 per cent for the Liberals to 34 per cent for the Conservatives) and nine points in August (41 per cent to 32 per cent).

The Liberals had a 12-point lead in July.

We are seeing a slow but measurable trend towards parity between the two leading parties, Forum Research president Lorne Bozinoff said Monday.

The Liberals now lead the Conservatives by such a slight amount.

The NDP polled at 19 per cent, according to the latest figures, compared to 18 per cent last month, and 17 per cent in August.

The new poll was conducted Friday through Sunday.

Harper announced Friday that Canada is dispatching CF-18 fighter jets to the Middle East to battle Islamic State militants for a six-month mission.

Both the Liberals and NDP stated that same day that they would oppose such a move.

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Support continues to dip for federal Liberals

The federal Liberals continue to register strong scores on the Nanos Party Power Index.

The Liberals scored 60.5 points out of 100 on the Nanos Party Power Index, while the Conservatives scored 50.4 points, the NDP 49.6 points, the Green Party 31.9 points and the BQ 25.6 points (QC only).

Accessible voters for both the Liberals and the NDP are near a twelve month high for both parties while accessible voters for the Conservatives are near their twelve month average.

Asked a series of independent questions for each party, 58.8 per cent of Canadians would consider voting Liberal, while 45.6 per cent would consider the NDP, 40.6 per cent would consider the Conservatives and 28.2 per cent of Canadians would consider voting for the Green Party of Canada.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has maintained a seven point advantage in the week over week tracking on the preferred prime minister front over Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and registered a new 12-month high.

For the first ranked choice for PM, Trudeau came in at 35.8 per cent, Harper at 28.3 per cent, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair at 17.8 per cent, Green Leader Elizabeth May at 3.6 per cent, Bloc Quebecois Leader Mario Beaulieu at 0.7 per cent and the rest were unsure.

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Federal Liberals still enjoy strong score on Nanos Party Power Index

OTTAWA - Justin Trudeau is facing the first serious test of his leadership of Canada's Liberals in the wake of a parliamentary vote to send Canadian fighter jets to Iraq.

Trudeau and most Liberal MPs voted against the idea.

But Liberal MP Irwin Cotler, a former justice minister and a globally recognized human rights defender, abstained from the vote, saying in a statement that his "principled absention," as he called it, was a result of his recognition that military intervention against Islamic terrorists in Iraq and Syria is required, but that the Harper government's proposal lacked "clarity."

Cotler, former Liberal leader Stephane Dion and former Liberal cabinet ministers Lawrence MacAulay and Mauril Belanger, were also absent from Tuesday night's vote.

And influential Liberals like former interim leader Bob Rae, former cabinet minister Lloyd Axworthy, and retired general and former Liberal senator Romeo Dallaire, all argued ahead of the vote for a combat mission in Iraq.

The apparent schism among Canada's Liberals was an opportunity for Trudeau's political opponents to pounce.

"The Liberal Party should hang its head in a shame," Employment Minister Jason Kenney said after the vote. "This is an ignoble day for the proud Liberal Party of Canada, underscored by Irwin Cotler's absence tonight."

Kenney has long admired Cotler's work in defence of human rights in Canada and around the world and Kenney even began his political career as a Liberal staffer working for long-time Liberal MP Ralph Goodale.

"The vote that the Liberal Party cast tonight is contrary to everything that party ever stood for in foreign and security policy," Kenney said.

And, indeed, Trudeau now may have more work convincing his own party, let alone Canadian voters, that he was right to reject the combat mission Iraq largely on the basis that, in his estimation, the Harper Conservatives had not made the case for a combat mission.

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A test for Trudeau? Canada's Liberals split on Iraq combat mission

Marketing executive and former journalist Dai Le. Photo: James Alcock

Pressure is building on the NSW Liberal Party to preselect a woman to its upper house ticket for next year's state election, with four female candidates putting their hands up.

Marketing executive and former journalist Dai Le nominated shortly before the deadline of October 1.

She is joined by Woollahra councillor Katherine O'Regan, who served as chief of staff to former environment minister Robyn Parker,andMary-Lou Jarvis, an adviser to Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.

Woollahra councillor Katherine O'Regan is one of four female Liberal candidates for next year's state election. Photo: Tamara Dean

Their nominations follow that of Prime Minister Tony Abbott's sister Christine Forster, who is a City of Sydney councillor.

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Ms Le, who stood unsuccessfully for the Liberals in the seat of Cabramatta at the 2011 election, was a surprisenon-starter for the south-western Sydney provincial spot on the upper house ticket this year. She is close to retiring upper house MP Charlie Lynn and was regarded as a strong contender to replace him.

Instead, a little-known motor mechanic and Wollondilly councillor, Lou Amato, was the only candidate to nominate for Mr Lynn's position. He secured the winnable spot thanks to backing from local powerbroker Jai Rowell, who is the minister for mental health.

Mr Lynn told Parliament in May that he was "absolutely perplexed as to how a position that commands a six-figure salary with a secure eight-year tenure could attract only one applicant, apparently an unknown tradesman with an invisible history in the Liberal Party".

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Liberals under more pressure to preselect a woman to upper house