Christine Fréchette will become Quebecâs next premier after winning the Coalition Avenir Québec leadership race on Sunday, taking over the governing party only months before the next election.
Fréchette replaces François Legault, who announced his intention to step down in January with the party slumping in the polls.
The 55-year-old former business executive beat out Bernard Drainville, the only other candidate in the race, with 58 per cent of the vote.
She has a challenging task ahead.
“It’s spring. Spring is a time of renewal,” she told party members in Drummondville, Que., on Sunday, shortly after her victory was announced.
“Today we are moving to a new stage. You have voted for another style of leadership so that a new generation can lead Quebec.”
Considered the frontrunner in the race, Fréchette positioned herself as a more moderate candidate in comparison to Drainville.
Fréchette focused her campaign on growing the economy and helping Quebecers deal with the rising cost of living. She reiterated those priorities during her acceptance speech.
Drainville, for his part, put an emphasis on identity issues and promised to adopt a stricter immigration policy. He was previously a member of the rival Parti Québécois, where he championed the party’s so-called charter of values.
Fréchette previously worked in economic development, as well as behind the scenes with the Parti Québécois, before winning a seat with the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) in 2022.
She served as Quebec’s immigration minister prior to taking over as minister of economy, innovation and energy in 2024.
The leadership race was a first for the party, which was founded by Legault in 2011. More than 20,500 CAQ members were eligible to vote and 77 per cent of them cast a ballot.
Legault led his party to two consecutive majority governments starting in 2018, but opted to resign in early 2026 after persistently low poll numbers.Â
He had fallen out of favour after a series of controversies, including the failed investment into the Northvolt battery plant and the costly, botched launch of SAAQClic â the province’s online platform for Quebec’s automobile insurance board.
Daniel Béland, a political science professor and director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said the leadership change comes at a pivotal time for the party and the first few weeks of Fréchette’s tenure will be key.
âThe challenge the new CAQ leader is facing is really tremendous because of the position of the party in the polls and because this person will only be the second leader of that party in its history,â he said.
Quebecâs next premier promises new style of leadership
The provincial election is scheduled for Oct. 5 â though the CAQ could decide to call an election sooner.Â
That isnât likely, given that opinion polls show the party far behind the Parti Québécois and Liberals.Â
Legault said he will stay on as an MNA until the end of the term, but plans on spending more time in his home riding of LâAssomption rather than the National Assembly.
In her speech, Fréchette spoke of her experience as a member of Generation X, growing up during a turbulent time in Quebec.
A period, she said, that was marked by two referendums, failed negotiations with the federal government and high unemployment, especially among youth.
She said it created “a resilient and pragmatic generation, able to transform challenges into concrete solutions.”
She added: “Today, itâs that experience, that balance, and that ability to act that I want to put to the service of Quebecers.”
