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The Quebec Liberals have increased their lead over the Parti Qubcois in voting intentions ahead of the first of two leaders debates in the province, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll.

The April 7 election has quickly turned into a battle over Quebecs constitutional future, with Philippe Couillards Liberals winning over supporters with their anti-referendum stand. With the support of 37 per cent of respondents, the Liberals have taken the lead over the faltering PQ, which stands at 32 per cent, according to the poll.

The right-wing Coalition Avenir Qubec is in third place at 16 per cent in popular support, with the left-wing Qubec Solidaire in fourth place at 10 per cent.

Mr. Couillard will face off Thursday evening against PQ Leader Pauline Marois, CAQ Leader Franois Legault and QS Leader Franoise David in a debate broadcast on Radio-Canada and Tl-Qubec. A second debate is scheduled one week later on the private TVA network.

The Ipsos Reid poll, based on a sample of 810 Quebeckers from the firms online panel, is the third straight survey to suggest that the Liberals have gained ground on the PQ since the start of the campaign. Ms. Marois called the election this month in a bid to obtain a majority government.

The tide seems to have turned away from Pauline Marois and the PQ, at least for the time being, as just 33 per cent of Quebeckers believe that Quebec is headed in the right track, compared to 67 per cent who think that it is going down the wrong direction, the firm said in its polling analysis.

The PQ has responded to the series of negative polls by sharpening its attacks against Mr. Couillard. On Wednesday, the party also started to increase its focus on its proposed charter of secular values, which would prevent provincial government employees from wearing overt religious symbols at work.

The poll suggests that a key moment in the campaign occurred when Ms. Marois announced that media magnate Pierre Karl Pladeau was running for the PQ in St-Jrme, north of Montreal. Mr. Pladeaus vow to make Quebec a country brought the issue of sovereignty to the forefront of the campaign and gave wind to the Liberal Partys position against a third referendum on sovereignty.

Its a different game now leading into the leaders debate with almost three quarters (72 per cent) of Quebeckers believing that a vote for the Parti Qubcois is a vote for a referendum, Ipsos Reid said.

Support for sovereignty remains low in Quebec, according to the poll.

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New poll finds Quebec Liberals leading Parti Qubcois in support