The crisis in the Parti Québécois caucus is being dismissed by members as nothing more than a passing episode that will have no lasting effect on party fortunes.
Party president Raymond Archambault said that people were already more relaxed and that some of the four dissenting caucus members may now have qualms over resigning.
"My impression from the conversations I had is that possibly some of the defectors express regret," Mr. Archambault said, without naming anyone.
Yet the acrimony within the party still lingers over this week's internal revolt, leaving many wondering whether it's possible to repair the damage.
A public opinion poll showed the governing Liberals grabbing the lead - albeit by a single percentage point - ahead of the PQ for the first time in months. The survey, conducted by the polling firm Crop for the Gesca media chain of newspapers such as La Presse and Le Soleil, showed the Liberals with 27 per cent popular support. The PQ, at 26 per cent, dropped eight percentage points from last month's survey.
The remaining 48 PQ MNA's focused on party unity as they headed into Wednesday's caucus meeting. They closed ranks behind Ms. Marois's leadership, knowing she had been seriously wounded by the crisis.
On Wednesday evening, Ms. Marois held conference calls with regional party presidents, hoping to gauge the extent of the damage and ensure it doesn't spread to rank-and-file organizations.
There would be no more defections, she is said to have told riding associations. Caucus members, meanwhile, tried to focus on returning those who resigned to the party fold.
"I strongly hope that they will return," said Bernard Drainville, a rising star and increasingly influential member of the PQ caucus. "I think we are done with this episode. I think we are going to be all right. … We just went through a lot of pain and the only way to get out of this is to stick together, be united and be one team with one leader."
Ms. Marois said she was prepared to let bygones by bygones and welcome back the dissenters, except for one: Lisette Lapointe, the wife of former PQ premier Jacques Parizeau. Ms. Lapointe fought hard to persuade the party to adopt a clear open strategy to achieve sovereignty, but lost the battle when Ms. Marois opposed the initiative. When she resigned, Ms. Lapointe said the air in caucus was "unbreathable."
In a radio interview, the PQ Leader, still bitter over the week's events, said that Ms. Lapointe would not be welcomed back.
Moments later on television, however, Ms. Marois softened her stand and opened the door to Ms. Lapointe's return, but under one condition: "She will need to show solidarity with the decisions that are taken by the PQ party members," she said in a Radio-Canada interview.
Several caucus members agreed, blaming Ms. Lapointe for being the lighting rod of dissent within the party.
"[Ms. Lapointe]said the air in caucus was unbreathable. She was the reason that made the air difficult to breathe and made it difficult for us to speak our mind," said PQ caucus member Danielle Doyer.
Those loyal to Ms. Marois painted Ms. Lapointe as being old school and out of touch with the new political reality of Quebec that they contend requires a moderate step-by-step approach to achieving sovereignty.
"There will always be people who resist change," said Stéphane Bédard, one of Ms. Marois's most loyal followers in caucus who was critical of Ms. Lapointe.
The attack against Ms. Lapointe amounted to declaring war on Mr. Parizeau, the man considered to be the conscience and moral authority of the party. Mr. Parizeau still wields considerable influence among rank-and-file members and a confrontation with the former leader could generate even more dissent within party ranks.
"I'm afraid that Ms. Marois just stirred up a hornets' nest," according to a source who asked to remain anonymous. "And that is something she couldn't afford to do at this point."
Rhéal Séguin