‘I am saying goodbye as leader’: Legault bids farewell in final speech as Quebec premier

Christine Frechette may face a tough challenge uniting Quebec. Genevieve Beauchemin reports.

Outgoing Quebec Premier Francois Legault bid an emotional adieu to party members as they picked a new leader, saying he stepped down to preserve the future of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), the party he founded in 2011.

Premier-designate Christine Frechette is now tasked with reviving the party founded with a promise to put an end to the separatist-federalist divide ahead of the upcoming election.

“I am saying goodbye as leader,” he said, at times his voice breaking with emotion. “I don’t want the next election to be about me. There are important issues facing Quebec - this goes beyond me. More than ever Quebec needs a party focused on the economy, on Quebec nationalism.”

It was his last speech as leader of the party, delivered at the end of the CAQ’s first leadership race. He led the CAQ to two majority governments, pledging to bring in a “third way” to move beyond the separatist-federalist divide that had dominated Quebec’s political landscape.

Legault said that in the early years, he had to convince Quebecers to join a new party that would be challenging two big political machines - the Quebec Liberal party and the Parti Quebecois.

“The red machine and the blue machine had been trading power for half a century,” he said.

His party focused on Quebec nationalism within the federation, pushing, for instance, for greater provincial control over immigration and culture.

But while Legault was once Canada’s most popular premier, he has sunk to last place and is leaving the party in a tough spot. Polls suggest the party could go from governing the province, to not holding a single seat in Quebec’s National Assembly.

“Think of the task that it was to rebuild the federal Liberals a year ago, and then go tenfold,” says polling analyst Philippe J. Fournier, creator of the poll aggregator 338Canada. “The rebuilding of the CAQ will be an arduous task. They have six months to do it. Right now, with the numbers we have, the CAQ would be wiped off the electoral map altogether.”

A majority of CAQ members who cast ballots selected Fréchette as leader. She will become the second woman to serve as Quebec premier when she is sworn in before the National Assembly reconvenes in May.

Legault told the crowd gathered in Drummondville, Que., for the leadership announcement that they should be proud of what the party had accomplished.

As many in the crowd wiped away tears, supporters shared messages of gratitude. Long after the speeches ended and the event wrapped up, Legault remained, hugging, thanking and saying goodbye to party members, leaving Fréchette to shape what is now an uncertain future for the party he founded.