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If they are prepared to put up with the man considered an enemy of PQ-friendly unions, it is because they think his stature as a pillar of Quebec Inc. could give the sovereignty movement the push it needs. “It is the first time since René Lévesque that someone represents enough strength, character and charisma to get there,” said filmmaker Claude Fournier, a friend of the Péladeau family who says Pierre Karl is like a son to him.

He said Mr. Péladeau, whose tantrums were the stuff of legend, has matured. “Five years ago, if he could settle something with a fight or without fighting, he would settle it with a fight. He was very combative,” he said. “He has changed a lot. He is much more flexible. He has not softened, but he is better at judging situations and avoids reacting abruptly to situations.”

But others question how he will make the transition to politics. Michael Fortier, the former federal Conservative senator and cabinet minister, is a friend of Mr. Péladeau dating back some 20 years. He hails Mr. Péladeau’s business achievements. “Just because we’re on different ends of the ice here on the topic [of sovereignty] doesn’t mean I can’t recognize that he has accomplished quite a lot as a businessman over the past 15 years,” Mr. Fortier said. “I think Quebecor Media as an asset has been operated brilliantly.”

He was aware of Mr. Péladeau’s sovereigntist leanings but never thought he would enter active politics. “It’s a tough business. You need to have thick skin. I’m not sure he does,” he said. “He’s adapted in the past, but this is the mother of all adaptations, to be honest. You’re working with all sorts of people that have all sorts of backgrounds that you don’t know, that have been around the party longer than you, that may know the leader more than you, that will not have the same skill set that you do. And he’s a man in a hurry. He’s solution-driven, and he doesn’t suffer fools easily.”