Overview
- The election campaign began when Premier Christine Fréchette met the lieutenant‑governor on Thursday to dissolve the legislature, setting a 39‑day race that ends with voting on Oct. 5.
- Fréchette is running as the incumbent leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec after succeeding François Legault in April and the CAQ currently holds 79 seats in the National Assembly.
- The sovereigntist Parti Québécois has led public opinion polls since 2023 and its leader Paul St‑Pierre Plamondon has pledged a referendum within four years if elected while saying it would not occur while President Donald Trump remains in office.
- The United States approved 50% tariffs on about $28 billion of Canadian goods and Fréchette estimates roughly $7.7 billion of Quebec exports are exposed, putting aluminum, steel, lumber and manufacturing jobs at risk.
- Quebec’s Balanced Budget Act requires eliminating the deficit by 2029–30 and the auditor general has warned the province faces cuts of at least $2 billion next year and up to $5 billion the following year, a constraint that will shape party promises and could affect services and household costs.