{"id":452809,"date":"2026-02-04T07:13:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T07:13:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/452809\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T07:13:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T07:13:07","slug":"in-quebec-city-the-curtain-rises-on-an-unpredictable-election-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/452809\/","title":{"rendered":"In Quebec City, the curtain rises on an unpredictable election year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Quebec Premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault is applauded by members of the National Assembly before question period at the legislature in Quebec City, on Tuesday.Jacques Boissinot\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

A strange scene unfolded at the opening of the Quebec<\/a> legislature on Tuesday, when an outgoing Opposition Leader faced off against a lame-duck Premier. <\/p>\n

Ahead of Question Period, interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay rose to thank Premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault<\/a> for his years of public service, prompting an extended standing ovation from the members of the National Assembly. Mr. Legault announced last month he would resign<\/a> once his party selects a new leader. <\/p>\n

Having thus dispensed with the niceties, Mr. Tanguay rose again to question the Premier, this time striking a rather different tone. \u201cAt the end of the CAQ\u2019s regime, does he acknowledge his mistakes?\u201d Mr. Tanguay asked. \u201cHe will have been the Premier of decline and debt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Question Period is always theatrical, there was an element of absurdity in Quebec\u2019s Salon Rouge on Tuesday. Within a matter of months, neither Mr. Legault nor Mr. Tanguay will be at the helm of their respective parties. Not long after that, Quebec\u2019s political landscape may be entirely transformed. <\/p>\n

The Sunday Editorial: The conflicting signs from Fran\u00e7ois Legault\u2019s departure<\/a><\/p>\n

The leader of the steadiest ship in Quebec politics \u2013 the Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois \u2013 remained silent during Question Period. But earlier in the day, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon had summed up the situation to reporters. \u201cIt\u2019s a session that promises to be different,\u201d he said. \u201cBut interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a province known for dramatic political realignments, this year is shaping up to be an especially bumpy ride. With just months to go before the next election, set for October, the governing party and the Official Opposition are both in search of new leaders. The Coalition Avenir Qu\u00e9bec is looking to reverse more than two years of waning popularity. The Liberals are hoping to shed the taint of scandal after former leader Pablo Rodriguez was caught up in allegations of vote-buying last year. <\/p>\n

With a leadership race underway, Mr. Legault\u2019s two potential successors have begun to cast doubt on his record, though both sat alongside him in the legislature on Tuesday. Christine Fr\u00e9chette, the former economy minister, recently told La Presse that some elements of Quebec\u2019s proposed constitution, one of Mr. Legault\u2019s signature bills, could be \u201creoriented.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opinion: Fran\u00e7ois Legault set out to bridge Quebec\u2019s divides. He ended up widening them<\/a><\/p>\n

Over the weekend, former environment minister Bernard Drainville launched his campaign to lead the CAQ with a long speech in which he said his own government had \u201clost the trust of Quebeckers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s chaotic,\u201d Mr. Tanguay told reporters in Quebec City. Under Mr. Legault, the CAQ had \u201cno rudder or captain,\u201d he said, but now there are \u201cthree sailors\u201d pulling in different directions. \u201cWho\u2019s at the helm?\u201d<\/p>\n

In contrast, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon looks something like an elder statesman. The 48-year-old sovereigntist, who took the reins of his party in 2020, survived the PQ\u2019s worst-ever election result in 2022, when it was reduced to just three seats. The party is now leading in the polls, and a majority government seems within his grasp. <\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon pitched himself to reporters as a steady hand at the wheel in a time of upheaval. But if he is to maintain momentum, he will have to find a way to sell a skeptical public on his promise of a third referendum on independence<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt some point, it\u2019s going to turn against him,\u201d said political analyst Rapha\u00ebl Melan\u00e7on in an interview. <\/p>\n

A recent L\u00e9ger poll showed the Liberals<\/a> have narrowed the gap with the PQ since the departure of Mr. Rodriguez. It also suggested that Ms. Fr\u00e9chette could substantially improve the fortunes of the governing party, which has been polling so badly under Mr. Legault\u2019s leadership that it\u2019s at risk of losing most or all of its seats. <\/p>\n

Despite his boyish looks, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon is \u201cno longer a fresh face in politics,\u201d Mr. Melan\u00e7on said. <\/p>\n

PQ Leader says \u2018battle of ideas\u2019 has begun, garnering support for independence<\/a><\/p>\n

But there are major hurdles ahead for those hoping to reverse the PQ\u2019s ascendancy. The Liberals\u2019 next leader will almost certainly be Charles Milliard, the former head of the federation of Quebec chambers of commerce. A political newcomer in his forties, Mr. Milliard is relatively unknown and untested. He does not currently hold a seat in the legislature. <\/p>\n

Mr. Milliard would offer a fresh start to a party that needs to clean up its image, Mr. Melan\u00e7on said. But the early days of his leadership risk being overshadowed by the ongoing fallout of the campaign-financing scandal that cost Mr. Rodriguez his job. <\/p>\n

In an interview, Mr. Drainville said he believes the CAQ still has a \u201creasonably good chance to rebound\u201d if the new leader admits to Quebeckers that the government \u201cdid screw up on a few things.\u201d<\/p>\n

But after more than seven years in power, most members of the government are \u201crealistic\u201d about their chances in the next election, Mr. Melan\u00e7on said. \u201cThey\u2019re looking for someone who\u2019s going to be able to save what\u2019s left of the party.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Quebec Premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault is applauded by members of the National Assembly before…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":452810,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,49,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,889,890,884,904,885,909,910,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,66,865,61,900,892,886,883,913],"class_list":["post-452809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-alberta","tag-arts-news","tag-bc","tag-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news-video","tag-british-columbia","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canada-news","tag-canada-sports","tag-canada-sports-news","tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","tag-canadian-breaking-news","tag-canadian-news","tag-economy","tag-education","tag-environment","tag-federal-government","tag-foreign-news","tag-globe-and-mail","tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","tag-government","tag-life-news","tag-lifestyle","tag-local-news","tag-manitoba","tag-national-news","tag-new-brunswick","tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","tag-northwest-territories","tag-nova-scotia","tag-nunavut","tag-ontario","tag-pei","tag-photos","tag-political-news","tag-political-opinion","tag-politics","tag-politics-news","tag-quebec","tag-science","tag-sports-news","tag-technology","tag-travel","tag-trudeau","tag-us-news","tag-world-news","tag-yukon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=452809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452809\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/452810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}