‘It couldn’t have got off to a better start,’ says Quebec City mayor of new premier

Christine Frechette, newly elected Coalition Avenir Quebec leader and Quebec premier-designate, walks down to attend a news conference in Quebec City, on Monday, April 13, 2026. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

“It couldn’t have got off to a better start,” said Québec City Mayor Bruno Marchand, on Wednesday morning, as he emerged from his first meeting with the new premier, Christine Fréchette.

“We are completely on the same page,” he told a news conference following the meeting, which lasted about an hour at City Hall.

The mayor declined to draw comparisons with his predecessor François Legault, but acknowledged that “it will be different,” as “the leadership is different,” he added.

“We’ll judge the tree by its fruit,” the mayor said.

Discussions focused in particular on the tramway project, the funding for which has not yet been finalized due to the lack of an agreement between Quebec and the federal government.

“We’ll make it a topic of discussion,” said the premier as she left City Hall.

Currently, the CAQ government is still negotiating to secure its share of a $25 billion federal package.

However, part of this package is to be used to fund the tramway project, which is currently under construction.

“I think she (Ms. Fréchette) wants to resolve this as quickly as possible; I hope Ottawa will want the same thing, so that we can sort this out in the coming weeks or months,” said Marchand.

He noted that she has not committed to a timeline. In his view, she would be in a difficult position to do so, as this depends in part on her federal counterpart and because her mandate is limited, with the October elections approaching.

Furthermore, the mayor stated that on other issues—the economy, homelessness and social housing—the premier and he are “very much on the same page.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 15, 2026.