Groups to hold Labour Day protest at National Assembly to call for general election in Quebec

Protesters are scheduled to gather in front of the National Assembly Monday as part of a province-wide Labour Day demonstration calling for a general election.

Protesters are scheduled to gather in front of the National Assembly at 2 p.m. Monday as part of a province-wide Labour Day demonstration calling for general elections in Quebec.

“We believe that the Legault government, which is currently projected to win zero seats, is completely out of touch and has done considerable damage to the social contract, civil society, and our achievements,” said Matthieu Brien, organizer of the rally.

“If there were elections today, the CAQ would disappear completely,” he added. “We are calling for immediate elections to end the carnage. I can’t even imagine how much more damage it could do in the next year.”

Brien also condemned the government’s bills aimed at the “partial privatization” of Hydro-Québec, the “reduction of workers’ right to strike,” the “dispossession of First Nations’ ancestral rights and the destruction of our forests,” as well as its handling of the Stablex file.

The demonstration is not intended to be partisan; it expects to be joined by people from the right, the left, and the centre.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees Quebec (CUPE-QUEBEC) gives its full support to the demonstration.

“The sabotage of our public institutions and this government’s constant disregard for the principles of social justice and equity that have been proudly upheld for decades in Quebec must come to an end,” said Danick Soucy, vice-president of the union in the Crown corporations and public agencies sectors, in a press release.

He is optimistic that the FTQ, which is affiliated with CUPE-Quebec, and the CSN will join the demonstration.

Several others will speak during the rally, including union representatives, Martine Ouellette, the head of Climat Québec, and a representative of the Front de résistance écologique et de défense autochtone (FREDA).

At the end of the event, protesters will surround the National Assembly building, holding hands as they walk around it. Brien believes that other protests will follow, seeing this one as the beginning of a movement.

“We will do what it takes to be heard. That means we will take the necessary actions to ensure that the government listens and understands that the public’s trust has been broken,” said Soucy in an interview with The Canadian Press.

When asked about the actions that would be taken next, he said that they had yet to be determined.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 31, 2025.