Mathieu Lévesque, a lawyer and former cabinet minister, has been appointed interim leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec as the party confronts an unprecedented election defeat that left it without representation in the National Assembly.
Leadership change after historic loss
The announcement on Sunday follow s the Oct. 5 provincial vote in which the CAQ failed to elect a single candidate. Lévesque replaces former premier Christine Fréchette, who resigned as party leader the day after the election.
Lévesque represented the riding of Chapleau, in the Outaouais region, from 2018 until he lost his seat in this provincial contest, finishing third. He served in cabinet as minister responsible for youth and as minister delegate for the regions from April to October 2026.
In a party statement, Lévesque said he accepted the interim role with humility and called for a period of reflection within the CAQ.
"I want to put my experience and convictions to work for the Party,"
The quote was released as part of Lévesque's initial comment on his appointment. He is a founding member of the CAQ and the author of a book about his time with the party.
Numbers and context
The scale of the party's reversal is striking. The Canadian Press reported that the CAQ held 79 of the National Assembly's 125 seats prior to the election campaign. Another report noted the party had held 90 seats in 2022 and recorded just over 572,000 votes in the most recent vote, but secured no seats this year.
| Snapshot | Seats |
|---|---|
| CAQ at dissolution (reported) | 79 |
| CAQ after 2022 election (reported) | 90 |
| CAQ after Oct. 5, 2026 election | 0 |
Media reports also indicated Lévesque will receive an annual salary of $200,000 for his work as interim leader, to be paid by the party.
Immediate tasks for the interim leader
As interim leader, Lévesque faces several urgent tasks:
- Initiate a party-wide review to determine why the CAQ failed to translate votes into seats.
- Manage internal governance and prepare the party for a leadership contest or longer renewal process.
- Engage with members, donors and regional organizers to stabilise the party’s infrastructure.
The CAQ’s defeat rearranges the balance of power at the legislature. The Parti Québécois was reported to have secured a 59-member caucus and its leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, is set to be sworn in as premier. Other parties — including the Quebec Liberal Party, the Conservative Party of Quebec and Québec Solidaire — will form the official opposition benches in the new assembly.
What this means for Quebec politics
The CAQ’s loss removes a long-standing actor from the day-to-day floor of the National Assembly and opens questions about how centre-right voters will be represented and mobilised going forward. Lévesque’s appointment signals the party will begin a process of internal assessment; whether that process leads to a rapid leadership contest or a lengthier rebuild remains to be seen.
For now, Lévesque’s interim role is framed as a caretaker and convening position. He brings ministerial experience and deep ties to the party’s founding cohort, but he will carry the immediate burden of explaining to members and supporters how the party intends to recover from a result that left it without an elected caucus.
Further details about the CAQ’s internal timeline and the mechanics of choosing a permanent leader have not been released by the party at the time of this report.
