\u201cI am an autonomist,\u201d the incumbent premier told reporters, saying she won\u2019t be dragged into \u201cthis sterile debate between federalists and sovereignists.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI work to ensure there is no referendum. I work to ensure Quebec\u2019s prosperity within Canada and to defend its language, culture and identity. That\u2019s what we are at the Coalition Avenir Qu\u00e9bec.\u201d<\/p>\n
Autonomist is also the term Fr\u00e9chette used to describe herself in a social media video posted Thursday after questions about her views surfaced on the campaign trail.<\/p>\n
In the video, she said she has \u201cevolved\u201d since working for the Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois between 2012 and 2014. Asked Friday what she meant by that evolution, Fr\u00e9chette repeatedly described herself as an autonomist but would not say whether she still considers herself a sovereignist.<\/p>\n
Fr\u00e9chette declined to answer when a reporter asked her if she\u2019s a proud Canadian.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a proud autonomist,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are working to help Quebec reach its full potential, with all its strengths and talents, within Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response to a question about the advantages of staying in Canada, Fr\u00e9chette referred to the trade war with the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s important that we pool our efforts and make Quebec\u2019s voice heard, and that this voice be carried by a group of federated states,\u201d she said. \u201cThat gives us more weight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fr\u00e9chette was deputy chief of staff to Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois minister Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Lis\u00e9e from 2012 to 2014. She left that party because she objected to its proposed Charter of Values secularism legislation.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Fr\u00e9chette said 2014 \u201cwas the end of the road with the PQ.\u201d She said that in subsequent elections, she voted for the CAQ, which has always vowed not to hold a referendum.<\/p>\n
Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard, who has sought to portray his party as the only federalist option<\/a> in the Oct. 5 election, called Fr\u00e9chette\u2019s response \u201cpathetic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn the ballot in a potential referendum, it will be \u2018Yes\u2019 or \u2018No,\u2019\u201d Milliard said. \u201cThere won\u2019t be an \u2018autonomist\u2019 option, and there won\u2019t be a \u2018prefer not to answer\u2019 option.\u201d<\/p>\n He said Fr\u00e9chette is seeking to lead Quebec while refusing to tell voters where she stands on \u201cthe most important, most fundamental question for Quebec\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s pathetic, frankly.\u201d<\/p>\n The Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois, which is leading in the polls, has promised to hold a referendum<\/a> if it forms the next government.<\/p>\n PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said Fr\u00e9chette\u2019s refusal to say whether she remains a sovereignist raises questions about her \u201ctransparency and honesty on issues that are important in this campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWith us, there is no ambiguity about what we believe.\u201d<\/p>\n The CAQ presents itself as a nationalist \u201cthird way\u201d between federalism and sovereignty, arguing Quebec can gain greater autonomy while remaining within Canada.<\/p>\n St-Pierre Plamondon said the CAQ government, previously led by Fran\u00e7ois Legault, had spent the past eight years claiming it could secure significant new powers from Ottawa.<\/p>\n \u201cThat approach has been a disaster. It has been a failure from A to Z,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to take note of what has happened over the past eight years with the CAQ\u2019s failed recipe.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n The Gazette\u2019s On Quebec Politics newsletter by Andy Riga breaks down key election issues, from polling shifts to legislative manoeuvring to ideas circulating in francophone commentary that don\u2019t make it into English-language coverage.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789164250_52_image.png\")
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