François Legault: “I am happy with my legacy so far”

“When I look at Quebec’s economy, I am happy with my legacy so far and it looks good for the coming years, including for a third term,” said Premier François Legault.

During an interview with The Canadian Press broadcast on Sunday, he suggested that he was proud of the economic legacy he was leaving to Quebec, just one year before the 2026 general election. 

Having steadily fallen in the polls since 2023, criticized for budget cuts in education, threatened by an economic slowdown, and shaken by the collapse of Northvolt, Legault nevertheless assured that he would fight hard in the next election.

“Economy first”

Asked to discuss the legacy he would like Quebecers to retain, he immediately mentioned his economic record, even before other election commitments he had made, for example 4-year-old kindergartens, seniors’ homes, etc. 

“It’s the economy first,” he replied. 

He then recalled that he had negotiated a new 50-year agreement with Newfoundland and Labrador last December for the operation of the Churchill Falls hydroelectric plant and the increase in electricity production through various related projects.

“This is a great legacy for me,” said Legault, also recalling the $200 billion in energy production projects in the pipeline at Hydro-Québec. 

However, he did not mention the battery sector, which has attracted billions of dollars in private investment in Quebec, but which has been marred by the fiasco of the Northvolt factory project in Montérégie. 

The head of the CAQ government, however, addressed the issue of “critical minerals,” one of Quebec’s assets, essential to the manufacture of batteries and electronic devices.

Defense

And he mentioned the new potential vein for Quebec, defense, an industry experiencing strong growth, due to the rearmament announced by the federal government, but also massive investments by the European Union – notably due to the Russian threat, NATO’s requirement to increase spending in this sector to 5 per cent of each member state’s GDP, American pressure in this direction, but also signals from President Trump in favor of a US disengagement from common defense.

Legault’s most recent four-day mission to Paris in June turned out to be largely a prospecting of the defense sector, a sector that is still underdeveloped in Quebec. 

In particular, he spent a whole day at the Paris Air Show, the major biennial event for the aviation and defense industry. 

However, there were no major announcements or contract signings, as is often the custom in this type of economic mission by the Premier.

Sowing seeds

But Legault recalled that he met with executives from Thales, Dassault, Safran and Airbus, four defense industry giants in France and around the world. 

“I asked them: why don’t you come and settle a little further in Quebec?” he summed up.

“It remains my priority to create well-paid jobs in Quebec,” the Premier of Quebec continued to justify his actions. 

Earlier in June, Ottawa announced an additional $9 billion per year for defense funding, which Legault intends to share with Quebec. 

“We have to make sure we have repercussions,” he insists.

Similarly, if the major French defense players want to win federal contracts, they will have to set up in Quebec and hire, Legault suggests.

He echoes the federal Minister of Industry, Mélanie Joly, who wants to establish a defence industrial strategy, similar to the National Shipbuilding Strategy, a plan presented in 2010 aimed at rebuilding Canada’s maritime industry and its shipyards by awarding contracts for the construction of vessels for the fleet or the coast guard. 

“Before placing orders with them (players like Thales, Dassault, etc.), we must ensure that we have commitments to create paying jobs,” Legault demanded. “I am optimistic.” 

Legault believes that through his approach, he is engaging Quebec in an industrial activity that will bear fruit in the long term. 

“We have sown seeds that are likely to grow in the coming months and years,” he concluded. 

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews