MONTREAL - With the notorious Parti Quebecois hardliners gun-shy after their crushing election defeat, the party's lone leadership candidate may find them unusually pliant as she tries shelve talk of another referendum.

Former cabinet minister Pauline Marois has pledged to steer the PQ clear of questions about referendum timing, saying the party first needs to convince Quebecers that leaving Canada is a good idea.

Hardliners have been quick to claim the careers of other leaders for showing even the slightest hesitation on the referendum issue.

But following the internal bickering that culminated in Andre Boisclair's resignation last week, the PQ's hardline camps appear resigned to her designs.

"A clash of ideas for the leadership at this moment in time, we need it like a cat needs two tails,'' said Yves Michaud, longtime party stalwart and de facto spokesman for ardent sovereigntists.

"I was never a big fan of referendums,'' he added.

The PQ's third-place finish in the recent provincial election has severely crippled the party's finances and left it with a low-profile in the Quebec legislature.

Casting referendum concerns aside in favour of a focus on good government could prove to be a tempting antidote for the party's ballot-box woes.

"When we have ideological debates ad infinitum, when we go in circles and don't give the impression of having a clear objective, then citizens don't have confidence in us,'' said Concordia University political scientist Guy Lachapelle, who ran unsuccessfully as a PQ candidate in the last election.

But hardline support for Marois' plan will depend on her ability to talk up the benefits of Quebec independence.

"We saw in the last election campaign that just promising a referendum is not enough,'' said Pierre Dubuc, secretary of a militant wing of the PQ known as SPQ Libre.

"It's like trying to convince people to go to Quebec City, but only telling them about the highway.''

While Marois reached out to the hardline camps by promising to prioritize the reasons for sovereignty, she also made it clear hers was a take it or leave it offer.

"This is what I propose to the Parti Quebecois, that we put aside the referendum timetable in order to work on the project of building a country,'' she said in announcing her bid on Sunday.

"If you choose me as leader of this party, it is this orientation that we are choosing.''

There is hope that her ultimatum, should she become leader, will force the PQ to change its culture of public infighting that cost such leaders as Pierre Marc Johnson their jobs.

"By putting her cards on the table, it will bring internal reform to the PQ,'' said Lachapelle. "I think we should have a more modern structure and the structure of a party that wants to win the election.''

In the meantime, most expect the PQ to unite behind Marois and think it unlikely she will face any serious resistance on the referendum issue.

"It seems that her candidacy is consensual,'' said Michaud, calling Marois "a breath of fresh air'' for the party.

Dubuc, who was among the nine candidates in the ruckus 2005 leadership contest that saw Boisclair take over the party, says his supporters have liked what they've seen so far from Marois.

"There will be a certain number (who will resist),'' admitted Dubuc. "We're better off talking about independence and what it means, and as far as the path to get there, we'll see -- there are several nice ways to get there.''

Marois and Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe appeared together in a show of unity Monday night, just days after Duceppe entered, then quit the PQ leadership race.

Speaking to a party fundraiser, Marois praised Duceppe, who has thrown his support behind her, and said she hopes to return to the Quebec legislature by the fall.

The PQ's executive meets later this month to finalize details about the leadership contest. Candidates have until May 27 to declare their intentions.