Leadership race: Fréchette and Drainville take questions from young CAQ members

At the Coalition Avenir Québec caucus meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 27, in Trois-Rivières, François Legault was welcomed by Bernard Drainville and Christine Fréchette, two MNAs and former ministers who are vying to succeed him as party leader. (The Canadian Press/Patrice Bergeron)

Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) leadership candidates Christine Fréchette and Bernard Drainville will take part this Saturday in a virtual town hall organized by the party’s youth wing.

It will be the first event bringing the two candidates together since the start of the race. From 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., they will answer questions from young party members in turn, without necessarily debating each other.

Two more traditional debates will be held on March 21 in Quebec City and March 28 in Laval. The new CAQ leader, and Quebec’s next premier, will be chosen on April 12.

Saturday’s event, organized by the Coalition Avenir Québec Youth Commission (CRCAQ), will cover the following themes: young people’s standard of living, party identity and unity.

Of the CAQ’s roughly 15,000 members, about 900 are 30 or younger.

The discussion will be moderated by political analyst and former communications director to Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, Dimitri Soudas.

For the past month, Fréchette, the former “super-minister” of Economy and Energy, has held an advantage over her opponent.

According to the latest Pallas-Data-Qc125-L’Actualité poll, 51 per cent of CAQ respondents hold a favourable opinion of her, compared to 24 per cent unfavourable.

For her rival in the race, Drainville, the numbers are almost reversed: 24 per cent hold a favourable opinion of him, versus 55 per cent unfavourable.

CAQ founder François Legault announced on January 14 that he would step down as premier amid poor polling numbers.

He plans to remain in office until April 12.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 28, 2026.