Minister Andrée Laforest leaving the CAQ to run for mayor of Saguenay

Quebec Municipal Affairs Minister Andree Laforest announces a environment program for municipalities, Thursday, February 8, 2024 in Scott, Que. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

As the CAQ ship takes on water, Municipal Affairs Minister Andrée Laforest is resigning to run for mayor of Saguenay.

Laforest confirmed rumours that had been circulating for several months during an announcement at a hotel in Chicoutimi, Saguenay, on Thursday.

Municipal elections will be held on Nov. 2.

Her hasty departure from the government will force Premier François Legault to call a byelection within six months, as the next general election is not scheduled until October 2026.

Laforest has represented the riding of Chicoutimi since 2018. In the last election in 2022, she won the riding with 62 per cent of the vote.

However, the result of the byelection in Chicoutimi is likely to be very different.

The poll aggregator Qc125 places the Parti Québécois (PQ) in first place with 51 per cent. The Coalition Avenir Quebec is in second place with only 25 per cent.

It should be noted that the PQ won the last three byelections in Jean-Talon, Terrebonne and Arthabaska.

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At the national level, Qc125 indicates that if elections were held today, the CAQ would win between zero and three seats.

It currently holds 86.

Laforest’s resignation comes as François Legault is set to reshuffle his cabinet next week in order to breathe new life into his government.

Laforest has been Minister of Municipal Affairs since 2018. Last year, she passed a bill to protect municipal elected officials from intimidation.

Electoral fraud

The situation at Saguenay City Hall is tense at the moment.

The current mayor, Julie Dufour, was found guilty of electoral fraud two weeks ago.

However, she has appealed the decision and has already indicated that she intends to run in the next municipal elections, even though several city councillors have called for her resignation.

Other candidates in the running include former PQ MNA for Chicoutimi Mireille Jean, leader of the Équipe du renouveau démocratique Christine Basque, and former owner of Fromagerie Boivin Luc Boivin.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 4, 2025.