Topics

Quebec premier-designate Christine Frechette under tight deadline to redefine CAQ

  • Charlotte Glorieux

    Charlotte Glorieux

  • Canadian Press

  • April 13, 2026

CAQ premier-elect Christine Frechette celebrates while giving remarks after winning the CAQ leadership race, in Drummondville, Que., on Sunday, April 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

MONTREAL -- Quebec premier-designate Christine Frechette has a bit more than five months to make her party more appealing to Quebecers before the provincial elections.

Frechette was elected over the weekend to replace Francois Legault as leader of the Coalition Avenir Quebec, which polling aggregator Qc125 predicts is on track to win zero seats on Oct. 5.

Political scientist Eric Belanger says Frechette's rise to the CAQ leadership could offer the party the renewal it needs to reverse its decline.

But the professor says she'll need to fend off attempts by the Parti Quebecois and the Conservatives to court disaffected CAQ voters.

And Belanger adds that her leadership campaign's focus on economic issues could make it harder to distinguish herself from Liberal Leader Charles Milliard.

Stephane Paquet is president and CEO of Montreal International, an agency focused on attracting foreign investment to the Montreal area, and Frechette's former employer.

Paquet describes her as diligent and methodical, comparing her work style to Pauline Marois, the PQ premier from 2012-14.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2026.