Aged 55, she is the second woman to hold this position, after Pauline Marois, who led the government from 2012 to 2014.

Christine Fréchette, former Quebec economy minister, became the province's new premier on Wednesday after winning the leadership race of the governing party on Sunday. The 55-year-old is the second woman to hold the position, after Pauline Marois, who led the government from 2012 to 2014.

She replaces François Legault, who had been in place since 2018. This 68-year-old former business leader announced his resignation in January amid widespread unpopularity.

With provincial elections scheduled for October, Christine Fréchette now faces the challenge of reviving her party, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ, centre-right), which is lagging considerably in the polls behind the Liberals and the sovereignist party (Parti québécois, PQ).

"Restoring confidence in the future"

This public affairs specialist, who was first elected just four years ago, focused on economic issues, pledging to improve the purchasing power of Quebec families and strengthen the province's economy. "The change I'm proposing is significant," she explained. "If there's one reason I went into politics, it's because I want to restore confidence in the future," she added, saying she no longer wants "a generation to feel like it has been sacrificed."

This is the beginning of a new era.

THANKS !

I would first like to sincerely thank the members of the Coalition Avenir Québec for their trust. Today, we are writing a new chapter in our history as a political family.

Like spring, which brings a… pic.twitter.com/Y0pkVt4AcJ

— Christine Fréchette (@CFrechette)

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According to a Léger poll conducted in mid-April, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) is credited with only 13% of voting intentions, while the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) is neck and neck with the Parti Québécois (PQ) at around 33%. The leader of the PQ, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, has pledged to hold a referendum on Quebec independence if his party wins the election this fall, despite the general lack of interest among voters.

With its nine million inhabitants, Quebec holds a unique status as a "nation" within Canada due to its language, culture, and institutions. On October 30, 1995, the province came within a hair's breadth of independence: the "no" side narrowly won, with 50.6% of the vote. Currently, according to a poll conducted in March, support for independence is at its lowest level in decades, at 29%.