Quebec Conservative Party leader joins forces with former premier Marois on homelessness

The Montreal homeless encampment on Notre-Dame Street is the city's largest.

Quebec Conservative Party (PCQ) leader Éric Duhaime has joined forces with former premier Pauline Marois in her campaign to hold a summit on homelessness by June 2027.

Following a meeting held in Quebec City on Wednesday afternoon, Duhaime confirmed that he was in favour of the proposal, as are Charles Milliard of the Liberal Party, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon of the Parti Québécois (PQ), and Ruba Ghazal of Québec solidaire (QS).

Premier Christine Fréchette refused to commit, arguing that her government is already taking action, but Marois indicated that she will meet with her in the coming weeks.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Duhaime stated that action must be taken before the situation becomes as serious as it is in Vancouver, where, in his words, “it is out of control and destroying a city.”

“Drug use is a cause for concern, because there has been an explosion in this area,” said Duhaime. “The effects are increasingly devastating and the drugs are getting harder and harder. I think we’re going to have to ask ourselves a lot of questions.”

“We had an excellent meeting,” said Marois, standing beside him.

“We had an in-depth discussion and I believe Mr. Duhaime fully understands the spirit of what we want to achieve by holding a summit and this commitment, which will mobilize the whole of Quebec,” she continued.

Marois is the driving force behind a coalition of prominent figures calling for the summit to be held with a view to better coordinating the efforts of governments and local authorities.

To mark the occasion, an open letter appeared in Le Devoir on May 20, signed notably by the mayors of Montreal and Quebec City, Soraya Martinez Ferrada and Bruno Marchand, former ministers Michelle Courchesne and Marguerite Blais, former QS co-spokesperson Françoise David, the chairman of Cogeco’s board of directors, Louis Audet, the president of the Université du Québec, Alexandre Cloutier, and the presidents of the FTQ and the CSN, Magali Picard and Caroline Senneville.

Marois argues that holding a summit would, in particular, help to build consensus and agree on concrete measures.

During the consultations she has conducted over recent months, she has noted a lack of coordination in efforts to tackle homelessness, despite a great many commendable efforts and achievements.

In the 2025 count of people experiencing homelessness, no fewer than 12,000 people were recorded across Quebec.

According to official data, five regions in Quebec saw an increase in homelessness of more than 50 per cent between 2022 and 2025.

These are Abitibi-Témiscamingue (119 per cent), the Côte-Nord (65 per cent) and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (51 per cent).

In its 2026–2027 budget, the CAQ government has allocated $90 million over five years to help people who are homeless or at risk of becoming so.

This includes $27 million dedicated to preventing evictions, as well as $21.4 million in emergency rent supplements.

Since 2021, the government has announced a total of over $1.1 billion to prevent and reduce homelessness, including $277 million in its 2021–2026 Interdepartmental Action Plan on Homelessness, as well as $614 million for housing support and the provision of housing for vulnerable people.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 17, 2026.