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For one of the first times in nearly 40 years, a poll has emerged showing the Conservative party as a possible contender in Quebec.

While the province is still poised to be swept by the Bloc Québécois in the next federal election, it’s a sign that one of Canada’s last remaining anti-Conservative voting blocs may be softening.

A new Leger poll found that the Conservatives are tied for first place in Quebec with the Bloc Québécois, with both parties polling at 29 per cent support.

The Liberals, in turn, have dropped to third place with 26 per cent.

It’s not only one of the best-ever Quebec showings for the Conservatives, but it’s one of the only times that they’ve polled better than the Liberals.

To be sure, the Conservatives are still performing horribly in Quebec compared with the rest of the country. In every other major province, the Tories are either capturing a majority of the popular vote, or they have a 20-point lead. 

But being tied for first place is a near-miraculous result given that the entire history of the modern Conservative Party of Canada has seen it brutally rejected by Quebecers.