CAQ leadership race: Drainville wants to prevent non-citizens from voting
Posted February 12, 2026 2:12 pm.
Bernard Drainville wants to prohibit people who are not Canadian citizens from voting on April 12 to elect the new leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ).
“In my opinion, the question is clear: it should be necessary to be a citizen to be able to vote,” the candidate vying to succeed François Legault declared on social media Wednesday.
Currently, one only needs to be at least 16 years old and have been a resident of Quebec for six months to become a CAQ member and choose the new leader.
In a press scrum at the National Assembly on Thursday, the minister for the economy, Samuel Poulin — who supports Drainville in the leadership race — also called on the party to change the rules.
This request comes amid a heated debate on immigration, as Drainville’s rival, Christine Fréchette, promised on Tuesday to reinstate the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) for two years.
“There is a growing unease within the political party, and across all the teams, regarding the fact that some people will be able to choose the next premier without being registered to vote,” Poulin stated.
“We are asking the political party to review its rules. … I want Canadian citizens to vote; it’s extremely important,” he added.
Poulin suggested that temporary immigrants, perhaps seeing an opportunity to improve their situation, could infiltrate the leadership race.
“We’ve seen people on social media recently who have, yes, implied that becoming a member could change their situation,” the minister stated.
In his post, Drainville invites Fréchette to “take a stand on this issue.” For his part, Justice Minister and Government House Leader Simon Jolin-Barrette quickly indicated on Thursday that he supported Drainville’s proposal.
“It’s a good proposal,” he commented briefly during a press scrum.
Fréchette’s response arrived Thursday in the form of a written statement.
“What Bernard Drainville is raising is legitimate. If the party decides to change the rules, I will comply. In the meantime, I am focusing on the priorities of Quebecers,” she responded.
“People want to talk about the cost of living, health care, education, public services, government efficiency, culture, and our regions. That’s what I’m working on.”
The CAQ clarifies that the rules can only be changed at a members’ convention. “However, we have a very rigorous compliance validation process,” communications director Claude Potvin assured La Presse Canadienne.
“If we’re talking, for example, about a temporary foreign worker who only has a contract for a few months, there’s an automatic refund and the application is rejected.
“As soon as the person isn’t on the electoral list, the verification process kicks in,” she explained.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
