CAQ supporters more nervous than usual at convention in Gatineau

Quebec's governing CAQ party holds caucus amid plummeting support for leader Francois Legault.

Delegates from the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) are meeting for their convention in Gatineau this weekend, as François Legault struggles to breathe new life into his government.

Some early party members, including Alain Charlebois, believe that the CAQ leader should step down.

“He’s had his time. (...) It’s time to bring in someone else, (...) perhaps Ian Lafrenière or Christian Dubé,” Charlebois told reporters on Saturday morning.

Others, such as Jacques Gourde of Mégantic, believe that their leader is still the right man for the job.

“It’s going to be difficult, but there’s still a year to go. There are announcements to be made, things to be done. The public will realize that he’s a man of the economy,” he said.

According to CAQ delegate Maryse Labonté, it was the negative attacks from his opponents that ultimately hurt Legault.

“He had a bad year. What I observed was that it started in his second term. From the outset, Mr. Legault was attacked. (...) Every day, something negative would happen and they would attack him.”

If a general election were held today, the CAQ would not win any seats, according to the poll aggregator Qc125, which predicts a landslide victory for the Parti Québécois.

The theme of the two-day convention in Gatineau is law and order.

The CAQ is proposing to ban masked demonstrations and to create buffer zones to prohibit demonstrations around certain sensitive locations, such as schools.

They could also vote to punish the possession of dangerous objects at gatherings and to ban encampments on public or private property in order to maintain order and security.

Members will also vote on the establishment of a public registry of sex offenders and a reform of the parole system.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 27, 2025.