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Expecting the unexpected is a given in a political campaign. Even so, any Quebec pundit who would have predicted, just three weeks ago, that the Liberal Party could form a majority government would have been dismissed as deluded.

A Lger poll released Tuesday confirms that star candidate Pierre Karl Pladeau gave a black eye to the Parti Qubcois when he raised his fist in the air to cheer independence. The threat of another divisive referendum is driving Quebeckers to the Liberal Party in droves. And this shift is occurring despite the fact that liberal leader Philippe Couillard looked inconsistent at the onset of the campaign after flip-flopping on such crucial issues as the zero-deficit target and the Charter of Quebec values.

But you didnt need to be a pollster to figure out that the Liberals have taken the lead for now at least. Looking at Finance Minister Nicolas Marceau debate with his economic counterparts from rival parties on Monday, it is already clear that panic is seeping in the PQ campaign bus.

The mild-mannered Mr. Marceau is not a PQ zealot. And yet even he parroted the new attack line of the week as he kept harping on the Liberals for closing their eyes on the pervasive corruption in public works in their nine years in power Mr. Marceau used the word corruption more than 10 times during the luncheon.

Organized by the Conseil du Patronat du Qubec, one of the provinces most influential business lobbies, the debate was an opportunity to hear how the leading parties intend to deal with Quebecs slow growth and high indebtedness. The two problems are compounded by the provinces rapidly aging population.

As the Liberals appear on course to take power, it is worth taking a closer look at their economic platform, which has been eclipsed by the sovereignty debate since the start of the campaign.

The Liberal Party promises to balance the provinces books in the 2015-16 financial year no matter what, through a rigorous control of public spending. It also wants to kick-start a sleepy economy by speeding up investments in public infrastructure that were put on hold by the PQ and by offering renovation tax credits. This is a Keynesian and populist approach to cure a recession that has long faded away.

More widely, the Liberal Party promises to restore a more predictable and investor-friendly business climate. However, it doesnt believe it is for the state to invest in risky oil exploration as the PQ is endeavouring on Anticosti Island.

Quebec is back in business, boasted Jacques Daoust, a former banker that is running in the Montreal riding of Verdun, during the debate.

Unfortunately, though, the Liberals are making a number of unrealistic assumptions and promises, as is often the case in partisan economic frameworks. In fact, a couple of promises resemble some of the fanciful ones the Parti Qubcois made (and broke) in 2012.

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Quebec Liberals writing cheques their policies cant cash