QUEBEC - Two members of the Opposition Action democratique du Quebec jumped to the governing Liberals on Thursday, padding the ranks of the minority government and furthering speculation of a snap election.
The defections of Andre Riedl and Pierre Michel Auger give Premier Jean Charest's party 48 of the 125 seats in the legislature and reduce the ADQ caucus to 39.
The Parti Quebecois has 36 seats, while there are two vacancies in Liberal strongholds.
With the Liberals doing well in the polls, the defections might give Charest even more confidence to call a provincial election for December in his bid for a majority government.
The premier, who has been evasive in recent weeks about whether a fall election would be called, was just as noncommittal Thursday.
"I don't have an answer for when the election will be called," Charest said as he showed off his new Liberals.
While the premier might want to take advantage of the favourable polls and be tempted to hit the campaign trail before any further deterioration of the economy, he will no doubt be thinking of a possible backlash from a vote-weary electorate.
Riedl and Auger, who were both elected in 2007, lashed out at ADQ Leader Mario Dumont, calling his style authoritarian and unyielding.
But Dumont, whose party has been struggling in the polls since rising to prominence during last year's election campaign, was quick to dismiss the pair as "not the best" members of his caucus.
Dumont told a news conference the defections will have no bearing on his leadership and he used colourful language to describe their departure.
"They crapped their pants because of a few bad polls," a bitter Dumont let fly.
The embattled ADQ leader also dismissed the pair as turncoats who held little importance to his party.
"They are a big star for one day, but they mostly remain one-day wonders," Dumont said. "They hardly have an impact in the long run, in the real battles, on the real issues."
Riedl, 68, who represents the riding of Iberville, says he got into politics to bring about change and believed the ADQ would be the perfect vehicle.
"I was wrong," Riedl said.
"What I found was that the ADQ is the party of one man without a plan for Quebec or a coherent economic program.
"I spent more time with Mr. Charest in an hour and a half than I did with Mr. Dumont in a year and a half."
Auger, 45, who represents Champlain riding, also accused the ADQ brass of not listening to caucus members.
"A political party is not the business of three or four people, it has to be a team that works together with a leader who listens to his caucus," said Auger, who had been active in the party since 2002.
"Since being elected 19 months ago, it's been disappointment after disappointment."
Charest said both men decided independently of each other to cross the floor. The premier called the defections a sign his party is inclusive with a plan that people can relate to.
"It means the Liberal party of Quebec is able to attract people of talent who share our objectives," he said.
"When you're the government you try to practise the art of inclusion."
The defections also come just days after the Liberals lost a bid to have one of their own named as Speaker of the Quebec legislature.
The ADQ and the PQ joined forces in backroom dealings and went on elect PQ member Francois Gendron.
Charest criticized the move as dirty politics and an attempt to undermine the capacity of the three parties to work together.
