Quebec political leaders make final pitch as election campaign nears end

MONTREAL — Quebec’s political parties are making a final push for undecided voters as the provincial election campaign enters its last weekend before Monday’s vote.

The leaders of the five main parties made multiple appearances in the province Saturday, appealing to voters in key regions as they sought to shore up support and make last-minute gains.

Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette used a campaign stop in Saint-Hubert, south of Montreal, to urge voters to stick with what she called the CAQ’s “third way” between federalism and sovereignty.

For decades, she said, Quebecers were forced to define themselves politically as either federalists or sovereigntists, a divide the CAQ sought to move beyond when it came to power in 2018.

“We thought we had moved past it, but no, it has come back in recent days,” Fréchette said.

The question of Quebec sovereignty has returned to the forefront in the final days of the campaign, with the Parti Québécois leading in the polls and promising to hold a referendum in 2029.

Fréchette said many voters are still undecided and argued that Quebecers who don’t want to return to the federalist-sovereigntist divide should support the CAQ.

“There are still two days, and for many Quebecers, those are two days for reflection,” she said.

Liberal Leader Charles Milliard also turned his attention to the sovereignty question Saturday, warning voters tempted by the PQ against entering what he called a “spiral” that could lead Quebec to its own version of Brexit.

Speaking in Lachute, Que., Milliard pointed to the economic consequences of the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union and argued the current geopolitical climate favours greater co-operation among middle powers.

“Faced with the world’s giants, there is strength in unity for our farmers, for our entrepreneurs,” he said, calling PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s sovereignty project “archaic compared with the economic reality.”

Milliard, whose Liberals have been polling behind the PQ, later told supporters in Trois-Rivières that “absolutely nothing is decided,” noting that roughly three-quarters of eligible Quebecers have yet to cast a ballot.

“This is anything but over,” he said.

St-Pierre Plamondon, meanwhile, made his own appeal to undecided voters, asking Quebecers to give his party a majority government and what he called a “real chance” to make a difference.

“There really is a dilemma in the minds of several voters who have not yet decided,” the PQ leader said.

St-Pierre Plamondon argued a minority government would make it more difficult for the PQ to carry out its promises and could send Quebecers back to the polls within a year or 18 months.

“We’re electing a government on Monday, not an opposition,” he said.

His rivals have increasingly targeted the PQ’s promise to hold a sovereignty referendum during a first mandate, but St-Pierre Plamondon said Saturday his opponents had “more than overused” the issue.

Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime raised his ambitions after a Léger poll for Quebecor media put his party at 20 per cent support, up two percentage points from the previous poll.

The online survey by the market-research firm was conducted Sept. 30 to Oct. 1 among 1,000 Quebec residents aged 18 and older who are eligible to vote.

Duhaime previously focused on electing at least 12 members to the National Assembly, but said Saturday that reaching 20 per cent of the provincewide vote would also allow the Conservatives to be recognized as a parliamentary group under the legislature’s rules.

“I had only talked about 12 because I didn’t think the other one was attainable, very honestly,” he said.

Duhaime urged Quebecers to vote Monday, saying several ridings could be decided by a small number of ballots.

The PQ has spent much of the campaign on the offensive, with St-Pierre Plamondon visiting almost every region of the province, while the other parties have concentrated much of their attention on areas where they hope to protect or gain seats.

About 1.6 million Quebecers, or 25.59 per cent of eligible voters, have already cast a ballot ahead of election day, according to Élections Québec.

The PQ, the Quebec Liberals, the Quebec Conservatives, Quebec solidaire and the Coalition Avenir Québec are all expected to win seats on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2026.

— With files by Caroline Plante in Quebec City and Frédéric Lacroix-Couture in Montreal

The Canadian Press