‘Realignment’ necessary: Legault says at meeting with CAQ caucus after Arthabaska defeat

After spending approximately five hours with his ministers on Wednesday, Premier François Legault was meeting with the 85 other members of the CAQ caucus all day on Thursday.

Legault received warm applause when he appeared before the members, whom he urged to “be frank” after the party suffered a resounding defeat in the Arthabaska byelection.

The caucus also takes place just weeks before a cabinet shuffle, which the Premier promised at the beginning of the summer to inject change into his government.

“I know you listened to your people this summer,” he maintained. “I want you to be frank. I want you to tell me exactly what you heard.”

Legault emphasized that a “realignment” is necessary: “There are people who are disappointed, and we have a duty to make changes. We have a lot of work to do. We have a beautiful family, and together we have to make some corrections.”

The Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) has been facing a decline in its voting intentions for months, particularly in favor of the Parti Québécois.

On Monday, the CAQ lost the riding of Arthabaska, which it had held since 2012, in a by-election won by the PQ candidate, former journalist Alex Boissonneault.

The CAQ candidate, Keven Brasseur, finished in fourth place with only 7 per cent of the vote. In 2022, the CAQ won this riding with 52 per cent of the vote.

The Premier, who said he took “full responsibility for the defeat,” reiterated on Wednesday that he would be a candidate in the 2026 election.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews