Quicksketch: A look at Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette

MONTREAL – Christine Fréchette heads into the Oct. 5 provincial election after spending a few months serving as Quebec premier and leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec. She succeeded party founder and former premier François Legault in April.

First elected to Quebec’s national assembly in 2022, Fréchette rose quickly through the CAQ ranks to become Quebec’s 33rd premier and the second woman to hold the job.

Age: 56 years old

Hometown: Trois-Rivières, Que.

Early years: Fréchette was a member of the executive committee of the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec in 1995 and 1996. The federation represented university students in the province. She later served on the board of the Conseil du statut de la femme, a Quebec government advisory body focused on women’s rights and gender equality, from 1996 to 2005. Between 2008 and 2012, she was featured as an expert on American politics for several broadcast media outlets in Quebec.

Before politics: Fréchette worked as director of external and institutional relations at Montréal International, an economic development agency that works to attract foreign investment, international organizations and talent to the Montreal region. She later served as president and CEO of the Chambre de commerce de l’Est de Montréal, a business organization representing companies in eastern Montreal.

Education: Fréchette holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, specializing in economics and international trade, from HEC Montréal, and a master’s degree in international relations from Université Laval.

Family: Her partner is financier Guy Nadeau; she has one son.

Political record: Fréchette was deputy chief of staff to former Parti Québécois minister Jean-François Lisée from 2012 to 2014. Years later, Fréchette was elected as the CAQ member for Sanguinet, a riding on Montreal’s South Shore in 2022 and served as immigration minister before being appointed economy and energy minister in September 2024, replacing Pierre Fitzgibbon. She oversaw major legislative changes on energy policy, adopted in June 2025.

Fréchette ran to succeed Legault as CAQ leader and defeated Bernard Drainville last April with 57.9 per cent of members’ votes, compared with 42.1 per cent for Drainville. She became Quebec’s 33rd premier and the second woman to hold the office, after Pauline Marois. As premier, Fréchette has made affordability a key short-term priority.

Riding: Trois-Rivières. Fréchette will run in her hometown riding in the Oct. 5 election. The riding was previously held by outgoing CAQ MNA Jean Boulet.

Quote: During the transfer of power from Legault in April 2026, Fréchette called for unity as she prepared to take over the province: “We live in an increasingly uncertain world. But for me, if there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that now is the time to come together, to join forces, and to work together. We must not let ourselves become divided.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2026.