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Christine Frechette to be sworn into office today as Quebec's second female premier

  • The Canadian Press

  • Canadian Press

  • April 15, 2026

Christine Frechette, newly elected Coalition Avenir Quebec leader and Quebec premier, speaks at a news conference in Quebec City, on Monday, April 13, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

QUEBEC -- Christine Frechette is set to be sworn in as Quebec's premier today with less than six months to go before the provincial election.

She defeated Bernard Drainville in the race to replace Francois Legault, who created the Coalition Avenir Quebec in 2011 and had been premier since 2018.

The 55-year-old Frechette will be the province's second female premier after the Parti Quebecois's Pauline Marois held the role from 2012 to 2014.

Frechette has said she will name a cabinet next week and intends to make at least one announcement in the coming days related to the cost of living.

First elected in 2022 in the Sanguinet riding south of Montreal, Frechette held the economy and immigration portfolios in Legault's cabinet.

She now faces the task of boosting the fortunes of the Coalition Avenir Quebec, which is polling behind the Liberals, the Parti Quebecois and the Conservatives ahead of the Oct. 5 election.

This report by was first published April 15, 2026.