Québec's Political Pulse

Pre-session caucus, François Legault’s opening speech, MNAs returning to the National Assembly, municipal elections: make no mistake, a politically charged fall has officially begun in Québec! To give you a complete overview, the Québec Now team presents our monthly summary of the province’s most salient political developments.

Parliamentary return: back to “school” in the Salon Rouge

After a two-week break, MNAs are back in their seats in the Salon Rouge – the imposing red-coloured legislative chamber – at the National Assembly. In his opening speech, Premier François Legault unveiled four priorities for his new government: economy, government efficiency, security, and identity. The newly appointed ministers, meanwhile, faced a barrage of opposition questions, ranging from budget-cut impacts on education to controversial economic investments, and concern about rising crime rates.

Toward a Constitution for Québec?

Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette has introduced a bill aimed at giving Québec its own constitution. For the minister, this would be the “law of laws,” a way to protect Québec’s distinct character, the French language, and secularism, particularly in the face of federal courts. The opposition unanimously rejected the bill’s introduction, accusing the CAQ of drafting a constitution without any consultations, and its Premier, François Legault, who is highly unpopular, of lacking the legitimacy to lead such an initiative. Lively debates ahead!

Several bills rescued in the new session

With the exception of the forestry reform bill, the government has revived nearly all unfinished legislation from the previous session. Among them are bills to strengthen secularism in the school system, reform the union regime, promote the “discoverability’’ of Francophone cultural content online, and remove interprovincial trade barriers. The controversial bill on physician remuneration is also back on the table, to the dismay of the two major medical federations in the province. Health Minister Christian Dubé has nonetheless agreed to suspend study of the bill to allow ongoing mediation efforts to proceed.

Cabinet shuffle: modest but noticeable changes

While not a full break in direction and tone, the CAQ seems to be using its late-summer cabinet shuffle as an opportunity to realign some notable policies. The clearest shift is the abandonment of its highly controversial forestry reform. Other moves are also underway, including the confirmation from new Environment Minister Bernard Drainville that the government will drop the requirement that automakers sell only electric vehicles starting in 2035. Meanwhile, his successor as the Minister of Education, Sonia LeBel, is considering scrapping the unpopular hiring caps previously imposed on the school system.

Right-to-repair: the government stays the course

Even as it adjusts certain policies, the CAQ appears determined to move ahead as planned on some others. Despite strong protests from retailers and auto dealers, Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette— who was not affected by the cabinet shuffle —has rejected calls to delay the new repairability obligations for goods. While the government appears ready to proceed, it may issue clarifications in order to ease implementation of the regulatory framework. This is certainly one to watch.

Santé Québec’s digital transformation suspended

Wary after the SAAQclic fiasco, the CAQ government has refused to release an additional 270 million dollars needed to continue two major IT projects at Santé Québec in recent weeks; a bombshell announcement hitting the healthcare network. Out of funds and with its back against the proverbial wall, the agency has announced the suspension of two major digital projects — one aimed at creating a unified electronic health record system for all Québec patients, and another designed to modernize the province’s financial, procurement, and human resources management systems.

Polling: the CAQ’s slide to the right of centre benefits... the Québec Conservative Party

In recent weeks, François Legault’s right leaning shift has started shaking Québec’s political landscape, though perhaps not as the CAQ’s strategists expected. While the CAQ continues to stall at 16 percent, Éric Duhaime and his Conservative Party of Québec have climbed to 15 percent. The Parti Québécois remains in the lead at 36 percent, followed by the Québec Liberal Party at 25 percent. After a cabinet shuffle and a mixed political repositioning, has the ship sailed for Legault and the CAQ to regain public favour before the 2026 election?

Municipal campaigns underway

Across Québec, municipal election campaigns are officially in motion. So far, the campaigns have been largely quiet with limited public attention, likely due to the low profile of declared candidates in Montréal and elsewhere. In Terrebonne, the incumbent mayor was acclaimed—a first for a municipality of that size.