Legault resigns as Quebec premier amid unfavourable polls, controversy

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Legault resigns as Quebec premier amid unfavourable polls, controversy

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Quebec Premier François Legault resigned Wednesday morning.

With the province set to hold an election in October, Legault said he is stepping down “for the good of his party and the good of Quebec.”

He added he wants Quebecers to vote based on “big issues” like the economy and the French language, and not just a desire for change.

“I know a lot of Quebecers want a new premier,” he said.

He will remain in his role until the party elects a new leader.

Last month, Legault insisted he would remain in office despite reports of MNAs wanting his resignation.

Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government formed two majority governments in seven years, when it gained traction as a new party.

The CAQ has tanked in recent polls, with some predicting the party could lose all its seats in the fall election.

A Pallas poll published on Jan. 11 showed only about 10 per cent of Quebec voters would cast a ballot for the CAQ if an election were held today. The same poll revealed 51.9 per cent of respondents had a “highly unfavourable” impression of Legault as premier.

In recent months, the CAQ has faced intense backlash over its law changing how doctors in the province are remunerated, which led to both former social services minister Lionel Carmant leaving the party and health minister Christian Dubé’s resignation.

Six legislative members left the party in 2025.

The party also struggled amid a scandal over the auto insurance board’s $500-million digital transformation overrun.

Major unions representing health-care workers, the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) and Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux (APTS), welcomed Legault’s resignation.

“François Legault has left staff and the public to absorb the consequences of his inaction, favouring the lure of populism over taking action where the needs are most pressing,” said FIQ president Julie Bouchard.

“The next steps must be clear: end austerity, breathe new life into the public network, place trust in those who keep the network going, and put access, quality, and democracy back at the heart of decision-making,” added the APTS.

Two majority government mandates

Legault co-founded Air Transat before going into politics with Lucien Bouchard’s Parti Québécois in 1998.

He went on to serve as education minister and minister of health and social services under Bouchard and Bernard Landry before joining the opposition in 2003. He stayed on as an MNA until 2009 and later started his own party.

The CAQ formed two majority governments since 2018, ending nearly 50 years of back-and-forth between the Liberals and the Parti Québécois.

The party’s policies have not been without criticism.

Despite Legault’s popularity among francophones and the fragmentation of the opposition, giving the CAQ an edge, the party has struggled to tackle a ballooning deficit.

Legault insisted his government reduced the wealth gap between Quebec and other Canadian provinces but struggled to keep up with inflation and global economic uncertainty.

Two of the CAQ’s major legislative projects — the secularism law known as Bill 21 and language reforms under Bill 96 — are being contested in court.

During its first mandate, Legault’s government tackled the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in lockdowns, curfews, and thousands of deaths in CHSLDs.

Still, Legault maintains he tried to save as many lives as possible by hiring and training hospital staff like nurses from abroad, known as “guardian angels.”

Those workers’ statuses became uncertain as the government vowed to reduce immigration in the province.

Some of the CAQ’s major investments in companies like Northvolt and Lion Electric were failures as both companies declared bankruptcy.

The CAQ also butted heads with unions, from the nurses and teachers’ strikes of 2023 and 2024 to Labour Minister Jean Boulet’s controversial Bill 89 limiting the right to strike.

Videos from the offices of the CSN union’s office showed members clapping and cheering at Legault’s resignation.

Meanwhile, a teachers’ union, the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE), called the premier’s impact on education “bleak.”

“His government has made a series of poor decisions that have harmed both teaching staff and students, young and adult alike, and the damage is considerable. The public school system he leaves behind is in disarray,” FAE president Mélanie Hubert said.

Opposition, MNAs react

As Legault left the news conference to a thunder of applause from his colleagues, reactions from Quebec’s top politicians began pouring in.

The heads of Quebec’s opposition parties said goodbye to Legault, acknowledging his commitment to Quebecers.

Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who shot up to the top of the polls as the CAQ dropped in popularity, commended Legault for his “genuine dedication” to Quebec for more than 25 years.

• READ MORE: Quebec political leaders react to François Legault’s resignation

“Despite our deep disagreements over the causes of our current collective challenges and over Quebec’s future, François Legault has always been sincere in his desire to improve the well-being of the Quebec nation,” Plamondon said on X.

Interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay praised his “sincere commitment” to Quebec, particularly during the pandemic, despite their “differences of opinion.”

“There will be a time to take stock of his years in power, and it will be the people of Quebec who will have the final say on his government’s legacy,” he added.

Quebec Solidaire’s parliamentary leader Ruba Ghazal said she and Legault “often disagreed over the course of [their] exchanges,” and wished him “the very best moving forward.”

Meanwhile, Legault’s cabinet said they have “heavy hearts,” and it was an “honour” to work with him.