Overview
- Fréchette met the lieutenant‑governor on Thursday to request dissolution of the legislature, formally starting a 39‑day campaign that ends with the Oct. 5 vote.
- Fréchette became CAQ leader in April after succeeding François Legault and will run in her hometown riding of Trois‑Rivières while framing affordability as her main short‑term priority.
- The Parti Québécois has led polls and won four straight byelections since 2023, but its advantage has narrowed recently and analysts warn renewed referendum talk could change voter choices.
- PQ leader Paul St‑Pierre Plamondon has pledged a referendum within four years if elected, though he says the vote would only occur after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office.
- Voters will also weigh economic pressures such as U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, housing and cost‑of‑living worries, and Quebec’s need to rein in deficits as parties lay out plans to protect jobs and public services.