Christine Fréchette is Quebec’s new premier

Christine Fréchette is Quebec’s new premier.

The former Coalition Avenir Québec economy minister won the vote to replace the only leader the party has ever had, François Legault, on Sunday in Drummondville.

She will become the 33rd premier in the province and the second woman to hold the post.

“I am so happy and proud that you put your trust in me,” she said at the CAQ convention. “Today we’re moving on to a new step. You voted for a new kind of leadership, a new generation.”

Fréchette ran against former education and environment minister Bernard Drainville and won 57.9 per cent of the vote.

Frechette is a former PQ staffer and focused her leadership campaign on economic issues, including on reopening the debate around shale gas and hydraulic fracturing.

During her victory speech, she promised to be a sound leader with a more streamlined government.

Frechette pointed to global conflicts and commercial tensions, saying she understands the strain on Quebec families.

“You deserve a government that will make your life easier,” she said.

Around 15,800 members voted in the leadership race.

Legault created the CAQ in 2011 and has led the party ever since. After winning back-to-back majority governments, Legault announced in January that he would step down as polls showed his party was deeply unpopular.

Opposition parties react

The opposition parties in Quebec City were quick to post their congratulations on Fréchette’s win, along with some points of contention with the CAQ leader and her party.

Liberal leader Charles Milliard kept his message positive, praising both leadership candidates and the outgoing premier.

“Having the opportunity to serve Quebecers at this level is the privilege of a lifetime, and I wish her success in the responsibilities that await her,” Milliard wrote. “I also wish to congratulate @BDrainvilleQc for his leadership campaign over the past few months. His ideas will have found an echo among a segment of the population that we must listen to. Finally, I wish to thank @francoislegault for his years of service to Quebecers. It is commendable to dedicate so many years to public life.”

Parti Quebecois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon posted his congratulations on social media.

“The coming weeks will hold a colossal task in store for her, and I wish her the very best of luck in carrying out her new duties,” St-Pierre Plamondon wrote on X. “I would also like to salute Bernard Drainville, who ran a courageous leadership campaign. His defeat marks the defeat of the ‘blue’ nationalist current in favour of the CAQuistes who align more closely with this party’s ‘red’ line of thinking. This outcome will therefore have real consequences on the political landscape, and I will speak more about this later this week.”

Quebec Solidaire (QS) spokespersons Ruba Ghazal and Sol Zanetti responded to Fréchette’s win, and pointing to her ties to the business community.

“Her career has enabled her to become the second female premier in Quebec’s history,” said Ghazal. “The public is aware of her close ties to the business community and the private sector; she must now get to work and govern for the whole of Quebec. I will ensure I remind her daily of the urgent need to implement measures that will make a real difference in helping people who are struggling to pay rent, mortgages, groceries and all the other rising bills.”

“Her environmental commitments throughout the campaign give me cause for concern,” said Zanetti. “It is out of the question for the government to open the door to shale gas extraction rather than finding ways to free Quebec from its dependence on oil. If Ms. Fréchette wishes to go down this path, she will find Quebec Solidaire standing in her way.”

--With files from The Canadian Press.