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MONTREALIs there much life for Justin Trudeaus federal Liberals in francophone Quebec in the absence of a unity debate? Not necessarily, according to the first Quebec-only poll released since the April 7 election.

The CROP poll suggests that the return to power of the provincial Liberals has left their federal cousins with little wind in their sails.

With all federalist indicators flashing green; with support for sovereignty standing at less than 30 per cent, the NDP is riding high among francophone voters (38 per cent) while Trudeaus Liberals (24 per cent) are being pushed back to the sidelines.

With numbers like that, Trudeau would hold his existing seats on the island of Montreal , where he enjoys the strong support of anglophone and allophone voters, but the party would remain shut out of the bulk of the province.

In the absence of gains in Quebec the Liberal leader could face long odds on winning enough seats to form a government in next years federal election.

There is little new to what plagues Trudeaus party in Quebec.

For almost four decades the party has done best when the PQ was solidly in the saddle provincially and poorly in more federalist circumstances.

Over the past few years, that trend has been compounded by the 2011 NDP sweep , the partys choice of Mulcair as leader and, more recently, by the PQs rout.

Philippe Couillards victory has killed the 2015 scenario of a federalist call to arms under the flag of the federal party that successfully fought the two Quebec referendums and that set out rules for a future vote on the provinces future in the Clarity Act.

It is a rare couple that looks for marriage counselling on the heels of renewing its wedding day vows.

Read more here:
Federal Liberals adrift in Quebec: Hbert