Mélissa Généreux in discussions with the PQ about a potential candidacy in 2026
Posted August 6, 2025 8:53 am.
Former Québec Solidaire (QS) star candidate Dr. Mélissa Généreux is in discussions with the Parti Québécois (PQ) regarding a potential candidacy in the 2026 elections, The Canadian Press has learned. However, the party concerned assures that no decision has been made yet.
“Yes, there have been exchanges, discussions that have resumed. But it’s certain that nothing has been confirmed at this stage,” Généreux told The Canadian Press in a telephone call Tuesday.
“There are people in the PQ with whom I have really good discussions. I find that at the platform level, there are a lot of elements that I really agree with (…) Honestly, I’m pretty sure that something interesting could develop together,” adds the former director of public health for the Eastern Townships.
Mélissa Généreux was a candidate for the QS party in the 2022 general election. She ran in the riding of Saint-François, in the Eastern Townships. She ultimately lost to CAQ candidate Geneviève Hébert.
In November 2024, she participated in the PQ National Council as a public health expert.
In an interview with “La Presse” a few days before her participation, she said she got along “really well” with PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, but that it was too early to think about the 2026 election.
On Tuesday, she said that at the time, there were health issues in her family that prevented her from considering such an avenue, but that things are now returning to normal.
“Since the end of spring, beginning of summer, I’ve started to say to myself a little more: ‘Good God, it’s true that the elections are coming soon, I should get my head around it,'” says the public health specialist.
Asked what had prompted her not to return to QS, she mentioned the party’s “internal difficulties.”
Mélissa Généreux wants to continue her reflection before making a decision. “Meanwhile, I’m reading, researching, and learning a little more about their platform. Understanding their ideas a little more, just to be sure that I know even better what the party has to offer,” she explains.
“It’s certain that everything related to public service, health, education, is always what has particularly interested me and where I think I could make a contribution,” adds Généreux.
Asked for comment, PQ spokesperson Laura Chouinard-Thuly said: “We are having discussions with stakeholders on a host of topics. Several people are raising their hands and several people are testing the waters. But we have not yet confirmed any candidates for 2026.”
Polling aggregator Qc125 places Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s party in first place with 31 per cent of voting intentions nationally, while QS has to settle for fifth place with 10 per cent. The next general election will be held in October 2026.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
