Quebec voters heading to the polls for provincial general election

MONTREAL – Voters in Québec’s 127 ridings are lining up at polling stations across the province to choose a new provincial government.

After two straight Coalition Avenir Québec majority governments, the Parti Québécois appears to be in the driver’s seat as the 40-day election campaign comes to a close, capitalizing on Quebecers’ desire for change.

PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has pledged to launch a referendum to separate Quebec from Canada if his party forms a government, but not before U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the White House in 2029.

“The change you are hoping for is in your hands,” St-Pierre Plamondon said as he went to cast his own ballot in his Montreal-area riding. “It’s up to you to take this opportunity and I encourage all Quebecers to go out and vote.”

The PQ leader said he was proud of his party’s campaign, noting it was the only one to visit all of the province’s regions.

St-Pierre Plamondon spent his last day of campaigning in the Montreal region, where the party is hoping to flip seats after a decade of weak PQ support.

The PQ leader’s rivals, meanwhile, ended their campaigns by warning voters against choosing a party that will trigger a referendum.

Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard voted in North Hatley, in Quebec’s Eastern Townships region, where he is trying to get elected for the first time.

Milliard said he was confident but taking nothing for granted.

“We will work hard until the last minute,” he said. “It is part of my personality.”

Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette voted in the central Quebec riding of Trois-Rivières, taking a final shot at the PQ’s sovereignty aspirations.

“I’m inviting Quebecers to reflect about what happens next,” she said “Do they want a government who will commit us to a referendum campaign that shakes up everything, or to remain with a government that is betting on economic stability and improving services?”

Ruba Ghazal, the Québec solidaire co-spokesperson, also voted in a Montreal-area riding where she is seeking re-election for a third time.

“We’ve been talking about this for 40 days,” said Ghazal as she arrived at the polling station. “Today, it is Quebecers who will have their say.”

Quebec Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime voted in a riding on the south shore of Quebec City, where he is hoping to be elected for the first time.

“The election campaign is over,” Duhaime said. “Today, Quebecers have a unique opportunity to continue to show our (commitment) to our democracy.”

Securing a majority government requires winning 64 out of the 127 seats in Quebec’s legislature.

When the election was called, the CAQ held 79 seats, the Liberals had 18, Québec solidaire 11 and the PQ held seven seats. There were nine Independents and one Conservative.

Fréchette said her party is the only one that offers an alternative to the province’s sovereigntist-federalist dichotomy, by focusing on nationalism and economic growth within Canada.

Fréchette said she was proud of her campaign, but also expressed regret over failing to put more emphasis on the threat posed by a referendum.

“It’s important for people to realize this, because it’s not just a decision that could affect Quebec in three years,” she said Sunday. “There will be impacts because uncertainty will become part of Quebec’s political and economic calendar.”

Fréchette ended her campaign by door-knocking in her riding.

Milliard described his party on Sunday as the only federalist option. He urged voters who want to avoid a PQ government to vote strategically for his candidates.

He warned that a PQ minority would be seeking support for a referendum among the other parties.

“One party that Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon won’t be calling up is the Liberal Party of Quebec, because we’re proudly federalist and not ashamed to say it,” he said.

During a campaign stop Sunday in St-Victor, Que., Milliard said his party had gained momentum since the start of the campaign, when he was criticized for not having a picture of himself on his party’s campaign bus — an image that was added later. He said the Liberal vote was likely underestimated in certain regions.

Duhaime, meanwhile, urged his supporters to cast enough votes on Monday to give his party a strong voice in the legislature. Duhaime has promised to use his leverage to act as a “guard dog” that will protect taxpayer interests and attempt to block a referendum vote. 

The Quebec Conservatives haven’t won a seat under Duhaime’s leadership, but they are expected to make a breakthrough that could give them the balance of power if no party wins a majority in the legislature. Duhaime said he’s hoping his party wins at least 12 seats and official party status.

“I’m very, very serene, and I have confidence,” Duhaime said. “The only thing is, we have to make sure people go out and vote.”

In Montreal, Ghazal was making a final appeal to progressive sovereigntist voters who don’t identify with the “austerity” proposed by the PQ, and other parties, including Duhaime’s Conservatives.

“Send a signal that not all of Quebec has swung to the right or turned conservative, and also send people who will be the only ones to stand up to Éric Duhaime’s influence in the next parliament,” she said on Sunday.

Élections Québec said nearly 30 per cent of eligible voters had cast their ballots by the middle of the day.

Polls were scheduled to close across the province at 8 p.m.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2026.