Five things to watch out for as Quebec's legislature resumes ahead of fall election

Members of the National Assembly sit during question period Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at the legislature in Quebec City. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot)

Quebec’s legislature is back in session May 5, and new Premier Christine Fréchette has five weeks to push through her political agenda before the summer break — and October’s general election.

Here are five things to watch out for at the National Assembly in Quebec City:

Law to protect victims of domestic violence

Fréchette’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) has promised to table a bill that would allow people to obtain their intimate partner’s criminal record history relating to conjugal violence.

A few Canadian provinces have adopted similar legislation, including Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière said last week the party is working on a draft of the bill, and Fréchette campaigned on the idea during her successful bid to become party leader.

She has also promised additional resources for women’s shelters.

Nine women have been killed in what are believed to be incidents of domestic violence in Quebec since Jan. 1, according to advocates.

‘As many bills as possible’

Former premier François Legault abruptly prorogued the national assembly in early April during the final sprint of CAQ’s leadership race to replace him.

Following Fréchette’s win, the legislature is returning Tuesday, and the CAQ is bringing back all the bills that had died on the floor — including legislation introduced by the opposition, says François Bonnardel, the CAQ’s government house leader.

Bonnardel told journalists last week the government wants to “adopt as many bills as possible” in the next five weeks.

Another new bill the CAQ plans on tabling would prevent the province’s electoral commission from eliminating a riding in Montreal and on the Gaspé Peninsula.

3. Will Quebec have a constitution?

Among the bills being considered is a draft constitution introduced by Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, who had supported Fréchette’s rival in the leadership race, Bernard Drainville.

Jolin-Barrette’s approach to moving his bill through the legislature has been described by opposition parties as ill-conceived, divisive and authoritarian.

Nonetheless, Fréchette has said she would “pull out all the stops to get this important text adopted.”

But even though the CAQ has a majority — and can pass bills into law on its own — Fréchette has said she wants the support of at least one other party before adopting the constitution, a document the justice minister says will protect Quebec’s identity and culture.

Can the Conservatives make their mark?

The only opposition party to have shown openness to Jolin-Barrette’s constitution is Éric Duhaime’s Conservatives, who, until March, did not have a seat in the National Assembly despite winning just under 13 per cent of the popular vote in the 2022 election.

In comparison, the Liberals won 21 seats with just over 14 per cent of the vote.

The party made its entry into the legislature when former CAQ minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina — who had been shuffled out of Legault’s cabinet — officially joined the Conservatives in late March.

Before the member from Rimouski joined his party, Duhaime had to be invited by a sitting member to hold news events at the legislature.

Now, it remains to be seen whether Duhaime and Blanchette Vézina can raise the party’s profile enough to give the Conservatives the momentum and energy they need to win seats in the Oct. 5 election.

Poll aggregator Qc125.com indicates Duhaime’s party would win 10 out of 125 seats if an election were held today.

Leadership changes

Two of Quebec’s five parties have held leadership races earlier this year: the governing CAQ and the Liberals.

Charles Milliard, a pharmacist, was acclaimed Liberal leader in February after Pablo Rodriguez stepped down following a series of scandals.

Milliard, like Duhaime, does not have a seat at the legislature.

The Liberal leader has said his priorities are to support small and medium-sized businesses and revitalize Quebec’s economy.

Fréchette has been busy since she was sworn in on April 15.

She reached a tentative agreement with Quebec’s specialist doctors, cut taxes for 75,000 small- and medium-size businesses, and announced a holiday for the welcome tax for new homeowners.

She also flew to Washington to meet with influential members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

Fréchette has until October to turn the ship around for the CAQ, which Qc125.com says would win zero seats if an election were held today.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2026.