Legault government heads into fall session after resignation of high-profile minister [Video]

As the fall session of Quebec’s legislature kicks off this week, Premier François Legault will have to fend off claims his government is past its best-before date, even as he works to shepherd a pivotal energy bill into law.

Legault’s right-leaning Coalition Avenir Québec government has been lagging in the polls since last fall, dogged by controversies and missteps. The premier suffered another blow last week with the abrupt resignation of one of his highest-profile ministers, Pierre Fitzgibbon, who cited a loss of enthusiasm for the job.

It was the third departure from Legault’s caucus in a little over one year, and opposition leaders were quick to claim it as a sign his government, two years into a second majority mandate, is nearing the end of its life.

At the close of a caucus retreat in Rimouski, Que., last week, Legault said he had no sense his leadership is under …