Minister Andrée Laforest leaves the CAQ and runs for mayor of Saguenay

As the CAQ ship takes on water, Municipal Affairs Minister Andrée Laforest resigns to run for mayor of Saguenay.

Laforest confirmed rumors that had been circulating for several months during an announcement at a hotel in Chicoutimi, Saguenay, on Thursday.

Municipal elections will be held on Nov. 2.

Her hasty departure from the government will force Premier François Legault to call a byelection within six months, as the next general election is not scheduled until Oct. 2026.

Laforest has represented the riding of Chicoutimi since 2018. In the last election in 2022, she won the riding with 62 per cent of the vote, a lead of nearly 15,000 votes over her closest opponent, PQ candidate Alice Villeneuve (14 per cent).

However, the result of the by-election in Chicoutimi is likely to be very different. The poll aggregator Qc125 places the Parti Québécois (PQ) in first place with 51 per cent. The Coalition Avenir Québec is in second place with only 25 per cent.

It should be noted that the PQ won the last three byelections in Jean-Talon, Terrebonne, and Arthabaska.

At the national level, Qc125 indicates that if elections were held today, the Coalition Avenir Québec would win between zero and three seats. It currently holds 86 seats.

Laforest’s resignation comes as François Legault prepares to reshuffle his cabinet next week in an effort to breathe new life into his government.

Laforest has been Minister of Municipal Affairs since 2018. Last year, she introduced a bill to protect municipal officials from intimidation.

Fraudulent electoral maneuver

The situation at Saguenay City Hall is tense at the moment.

The current mayor, Julie Dufour, was found guilty of fraudulent election practices two weeks ago.

However, she has appealed the decision and has already indicated that she intends to run in the next municipal elections, even though several city councilors have called for her resignation.

Other candidates in the running include former PQ MNA for Chicoutimi Mireille Jean, leader of the Équipe du renouveau démocratique Christine Basque, and former owner of Fromagerie Boivin Luc Boivin.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews