Outgoing Premier Legault meets with Fréchette ahead of swearing-in ceremony

François Legault welcomes his successor, Christine Fréchette, for the transfer of power at the Honoré-Mercier Building in Quebec City on April 14, 2026. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

On Tuesday, François Legault welcomed his successor, Christine Fréchette, to the stately Honoré-Mercier building for the transfer of power.

The outgoing premier and the premier-designate briefly posed for the cameras before heading into the office where they would proceed with the transfer of files.

Fréchette—who was elected leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) on Sunday with 57.9 of the vote against 42.1 per cent for Bernard Drainville—will be sworn in on Wednesday afternoon at the National Assembly.

She will then chair a caucus meeting in the evening.

During his farewell speech on Sunday, Legault had called for unity, urging the winning side to reach out to the losing side. On Tuesday, he said he felt reassured about the future.

“I couldn’t ask for a better person than Christine to take charge of Quebec’s future. Christine will be an excellent premier for a long time,” he said.

Taking the floor in turn, Fréchette promised Quebecers she would help them navigate this period of “great change.”

“We live in an increasingly uncertain world. But if there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that now is the time to come together, to join forces, to work together. We must not, above all, allow ourselves to be divided.”

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Since the start of the week, Fréchette has been holding meetings at a rapid pace.

She mingled with the crowd in Trois-Rivières, spoke by phone with Prime Minister Mark Carney, and then with several provincial premiers. She also spoke with the leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, Charles Milliard.

The premier-designate also met with her rival in the race, Drainville, as well as Finance Minister Eric Girard and Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette. She will meet with Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand on Wednesday morning.

During her meeting with Girard, she reportedly asked him “to identify the most effective way to eliminate the QST on a range of everyday consumer goods and groceries.”

“Then, I asked Girard to propose a plan to return the government’s additional revenue linked to the rise in gas prices due to the war in the Middle East,” she said in a post on X.

During the campaign, Fréchette proposed reducing vehicle registration fees to offset the rise in gas prices.

Pro-Drainville figures in the Fréchette cabinet

To preserve party unity, Fréchette made it clear from the outset: she will entrust “important” responsibilities to Drainville and make room in her cabinet for pro-Drainville figures such as Jolin-Barrette and Sonia Bélanger. She made the remarks during an interview on 98.5 FM on Tuesday morning.

At a press conference the previous day, she had left some doubt as to what fate she had in store for Jolin-Barrette in particular.

Will the nationalist heavyweight retain a ministerial post?

“Certainly,” Fréchette replied to host Patrick Lagacé. “Simon is very talented, and we’ll definitely need to put him to work.”

Her proposed Quebec constitution will continue to move forward in the National Assembly. However, if it does not garner the support of at least one opposition party, it will not be adopted, she explained.

“There needs to be a certain level of support.”

In addition, Fréchette said she “greatly appreciates” Bélanger’s work on the health file.

“She jumped right into it very quickly. So, there you go, I’m going to be counting on her in the Cabinet, that’s for sure,” she said.

At a press conference at the legislature on Monday, Fréchette had stated that forming a cabinet was a “high-wire act.”

She had mentioned wanting a cabinet with gender parity but of a smaller size. When asked on Tuesday about the possibility of appointing a non-elected official to the inner circle, the premier-designate replied that she was considering it.

“I’m not closing the door,” she said. “It’s not a given, but it’s a possibility. It could happen, depending on what’s feasible. But as I told you, (...) it’s a very complex exercise.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 14, 2026.

Caroline Plante, The Canadian Press