Quebec National Assembly resumes Tuesday, amid CAQ and Liberal leadership races
Posted February 2, 2026 4:56 pm.
Last Updated February 2, 2026 6:11 pm.
After nearly two months on break, Quebec’s National Assembly returns Tuesday, launching what is expected to be a busy stretch in provincial politics ahead of the October election.
Two of the five parties remain without a leader.
The Quebec Liberal Party is set to elect a new leader March 14 after Pablo Rodriguez stepped down in December amid party turmoil.
The CAQ will choose its new leader April 12 after François Legault announced his resignation as Quebec premier earlier this month. Bernard Drainville and Christine Fréchette are both running to lead the CAQ, with a recent poll showing Fréchette has a significant lead.
All of this comes as the Parti Québécois continues to lead quite substantially in the overall election polls.
Political analyst Karim Boulos joined CityNews to break down the latest and preview what to expect ahead of Tuesday’s National Assembly resumption.
Recent polls suggest Christine Fréchette has a strong lead over Bernard Drainville in the CAQ leadership race. How decisive do you think this race is at this stage?
I think people looking for change, which I think is most people in Quebec right now, looking for a change of wind, a change of direction, are far more interested in Mme. Fréchette because she doesn’t come with any baggage. Mr. Drainville had a mixed review as education minister with the Parti Québécois, his handling of the environment with his “lachez-moi avec vos gaz à effet de serre” comments as minister of the environment. And now looking at some of the comments he’s made around Quebec City issues like the third link and so on, have made Mr. Drainville, if nothing else, a controversial figure. He is somewhat popular in Quebec City and some of the outlying areas further north. Mme. Fréchette is far stronger in the Montreal area and surrounding because her position is viewed as one of the economy, one of ensuring a strong economy going forward, creation of jobs, dealing with the relation between Quebec City and Ottawa in a more business-oriented fashion, and having to deal as well with what’s going on in Canada vis-à-vis the US with tariffs and so on. So I think Mme. Fréchette certainly is the wind of change and I think that she’s got a strong chance to take it as leader over Mr. Drainville.
The Gallant Commission report regarding the SAAQclic fiasco is expected later this month. How might its findings impact the CAQ ahead of October?
The CAQ and Mr. Legault have been sliding in the polls for months now, over a year actually. And so this SAAQclic issue is really going to stick to Mr. Legault. I think both candidates for the leadership are going to try to distance themselves as much as possible, despite having been in the caucus, in the cabinet with Mr. Legault. They’re going to distance themselves from that decision and say that they will respect the terms and the findings of the Gallant Commission and they will look to improve and, you know, the same rhetoric we hear every time a report comes out with anything that’s damning and accusing. And so I don’t think that it’s going to help the CAQ in any way. I think it’s still going to be a tough race, regardless of Mr. Drainville or Mme. Fréchette taking over as leader. It’ll be a very difficult task to try to catch up with Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon.
The Liberals are expected to choose a new leader in March. How important is this leadership change for the party’s chances going into the next election?
It’s going to make a big difference about the rebuilding, and that’s really the issue for them. It’s a chance to start over. I don’t think anybody has their eyes set on 2026. I think it’s more of a rebuilding phase to try to bring back the credibility of the party.
Marwah Rizqy has said she plans to return to the National Assembly. Do you think she might rejoin the Liberal caucus, or could her role look different going forward?
Well, she’s returning back to her seat. She’s not seeking re-election in the fall, so it will depend on that. It will depend on the new leader, whether he is willing to welcome her back into the party. And that becomes the issue. I think she’s prepared to come back. She left quite unceremoniously, very abruptly, as a matter of fact. And so I think that she would be happy to finish her term as a member of the Liberal Caucus. But there’s no advantage or disadvantage to her doing so, because if she doesn’t seek re-election anyway, it’s not as if she needs to be part of a team going into that election. So I don’t think it changes much for Marwah Rizqy.
The Parti Québécois continues to lead in polls. As we move toward the election, what challenges could the PQ face in maintaining that lead?
Any party in the lead has to worry about itself. And I think the Parti Québécois has to be careful not to double down and go too far down that sovereignty route, despite having many people support them as a potential new government. The question of sovereignty, the question of independence comes with too many unknowns. And I think he’s still rushing into sovereignty as being the only issue could cost the Parti Québécois a number of votes. And depending how the Liberals shape up and how the CAQ shape up, it could just be enough to give them a minority government or possibly lose if they go too aggressively down the sovereignty route.
