Quebec votes 2026: One-on-one with Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime

As the election campaign enters its final stretch and advance voting just days away, leaders are criss-crossing the province to shore up their base and win-over new voters.

Éric Duhaime, leader of the Quebec Conservative Party (PCQ), has been in the limelight in the past few days with recent polls showing the party’s strength. A Léger poll released Tuesday found the PCQ as the top second choice among Quebecers with 17 per cent of the vote. With the Parti Québécois (PQ) getting 29 per cent of the vote and political analysts predicting a minority government, Duhaime could play a major role after the elections.

Duhaime joined CityNews for a one-on-one interview to talk about whether a PCQ-PQ alliance is in the making, his pitch to the anglophones and young voters.

CityNews: A new poll that came out today indicates that the PQ could be headed towards majority territory. It also indicates that your party currently stands at 17 per cent, just three points behind the CAQ which has now fallen to third place. For you and your party, how are you looking to gain more seats, more voices at the National Assembly? 

Duhaime, PCQ Leader: Well, the other good news for us in the polls this morning is that we’re leading by 11 per cent in the Quebec City region. It’s the highest we’ve ever had. So we kind of have a momentum right now. We’re going up. We’ve been going up since the beginning of the campaign. So we’re very positive about it. And I think our message starts to resonate. You know, we want to change the Quebec model, the Quebec bureaucratic model. We want to leave more money in your wallet as workers, cut taxes drastically, and also cut in the waste of the government by $47 billion over the next five years. So I think this message is starting to resonate. We still have 13 days to make sure that everybody hears it. And that’s what we’re going to campaign on for the last two weeks. 

CityNews: I have to ask you about the bromance of it all. Over the past few days, other party leaders have spoken about an apparent alliance between the PQ and the Conservative Party should the PQ not get a majority. Are you headed towards a coalition? 

Duhaime, PCQ Leader: No, there’s no way we’re going to have a coalition with any party, no matter if it’s the Parti Québécois, the Liberals or the CAQ. That being said, I want to have a bromance with all the parties. In the sense that we want to make sure that our small “c” conservative principles and policies are pushed forward. And, all the parties now are adopting some of our policies in one way or the other, and we want to make sure that we’re going to be the watchdog in the National Assembly to make sure they implement it. That being said, there’s one thing that we’re not ready to have any kind of concession and it’s a referendum. Over 70 per cent of Quebecers do not want a referendum on separation, and there is no way we’re going to agree that the Parti Québécois obsession is going to become a reality and split Quebecers again like they did two times in the last 50 years. So for us, it’s unacceptable. So if we have the balance of power, there will be no referendum. I know that Mr. Milliard and the Liberals are dreaming to be in the “No” bus, and Mr. Plamondon dreams to be on the “Yes” bus. I dream that they are in the garage. I have the keys and lock them in. That’s my purpose. That’s my goal regarding that question 

CityNews: Is it a firm no to coalition, no support for a referendum?

Duhaime, PCQ Leader: That’s correct. But support with all the parties on different issues. And you know what? We’re looking at the polls. There’s not one single party that is at 30 per cent or over right now, which is very, very low in Quebec’s history. Normally at 28-29 (per cent), you lose an election badly in Quebec, but now there’s five parties. The dynamic is different. And I think what Quebecers are looking for is collaboration between parties. They want different ideas to be part of different policies, and I’m ready to play that role. I’m ready to work with other parties, people who do not necessarily share my views on everything, but try to find some consensus on key issues in the interest of Quebecers. That’s the spirit of mine of Quebecers. Currently, I think of voters, and it’s also the spirit of mine that I’m in with right now. 

CityNews: Should you win in the riding of Bellachasse, this would be your first seat at the National Assembly. What will Éric Duhaime do as MNA on day one?

Duhaime, PCQ Leader: Day one, our first priority, if we’re elected, is to cut taxes. So as I said, we want to make sure (of that). Currently in Quebec, on the $18,000 that you earn, the first $18,000 you pay zero income tax. We want to raise that to $35,000. We want to give you, we want to make sure you keep in your wallet $11,000 over the next five years more in your pocket than in the government’s pocket, and cut in the waste of the government to pay for that. So that’s our first and main priority and main promise during this campaign. 

CityNews: Over the past few days, you’ve really spoken about young voters in particular. How you’re appealing to them? You’ve also said that a lot of young voters are looking to the Conservatives as a viable option on who to vote for come Oct. 5. Why do you think that’s the case? 

Duhaime, PCQ Leader: Because times have changed. I mean, it used to be the state, the Nanny state used to be an opportunity for the boomers, for the baby boomers. They looked at the state as an opportunity for a career, that they were giving more social services, and that they were able even to borrow money and to spend more. The youth is not in the same place right now. For them, it means huge indebtedness, the largest in Quebec’s history by far. It means that they’re going to live poorer than their parents. They don’t have access to property because now in Montreal, the average house is $1 million. They will never be able to buy such a house. So for them, it’s a problem instead of a solution. And I think at times, I’ve changed. So the youth is reacting to that and they’re seeing that our policies, to put more money in their pocket, they regulate to make sure that they could have access to property. And you know, and downsize the bureaucracy for them, it resonates and that’s why we’re more popular. That being said, we have a challenge with the youth because they tend to vote less than the seniors and that’s going to be a real challenge also. It’s the “GOTV” get out the vote effort. We have to make sure that the youth votes. It’s about their future that we’re talking about. Hopefully, they will show up on Oct. 5. 

CityNews: Last thing I want to ask you is about the Anglophone vote. What is your message to Anglophones who maybe feel left in the lurch during this campaign? 

Duhaime, PCQ Leader: Well, you don’t have to be hostage of the Liberals anymore. You have an alternative that is against separation, is against corruption and an alternative that, you know, wants to put more money in your wallet. If you’re a small “c” conservative, now you have an option on the provincial level. And I know that our message resonates, but hopefully we can reach out to those people. And you know, in many regions and many Francophone regions, we’re the alternative to the Parti Québécois. And if you want to stand up firm and you want to get out of just the island of Montreal, I think it’s important that the Anglophones vote conservative. Hopefully, we can make a breakthrough there as well. 

Quebecers head to the poll on Oct. 5. Advance polling is scheduled for Sept. 27 and 28.