François Legault says he will be a candidate in the 2026 elections

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QUEBEC – Prime Minister François Legault has confirmed that he intends to seek a third term in the 2026 general election, despite his government’s bad luck in public opinion.

And he avoided two traps that were set for him, one by the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who harassed him to say what he would do if his political option reached a dead end, and a second by of interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay, who tried to trip him up over the price of an apartment in Montreal.

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In a wide-ranging debate with the three opposition leaders in the legislature, which lasted more than three hours, Legault found himself defending his record on everything from the $11 billion shortfall in the spring budget to housing and talks with Ottawa to reduce the number of temporary immigrants arriving in Quebec.

It opened with questions from Tanguay, who asked Legault rapid-fire questions, including whether he will seek re-election in 2026, a third term as prime minister. Legault repeated what he said a year ago on this issue.

“Is there enough work left to do for a third term? Yes,” Legault responded. “And yes, I will be a candidate.”

Legault is 66 years old.

When asked if he believes he deserves a third term, Legault was also clear.

“Yes, without being arrogant,” he said, dismissing Tanguay’s request to rate his performance from one to 10.

But amid the housing crisis in Quebec, Tanguay tested a tactic used in 2021 by Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Manon Massé, asking Legault if she knows the exact rental price for a four-and-a-half-bedroom apartment in Montreal.

In 2021, Legault was wrong about the floating answer: it could be $500 or $600 a month, when in reality it was more than $1,300. QS quickly used the incident to criticize Legault and make him seem out of touch with the problems of ordinary people.

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This time, Legault hesitated to respond and told Tanguay that his team of bureaucrats, sitting behind him during the debate, would check it out. But even when the government’s secretary general, Dominique Savoie, proposed a number and showed it to Legault, he refused to reveal it because he said he first wanted to be sure it was correct.

He accused Tanguay of trying to steal an old QS tactic.

“You want to become a Manon Massé,” Legault shot across the floor of the Blue Room where the debate took place.

Later, responding to questions from QS co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, who said the government is dragging its feet on building more housing, Legault went through a long list of investments made by his government.

He argued that the free market system is also part of the solution, noting that his government’s tax cuts in recent years have given Quebecers more money to buy a first home.

“We believe the best way to proceed is to put money in the wallets of Quebecers,” he said.

He repeated to Nadeau-Dubois his view that one reason for the shortage is the growing number of temporary migrants, including 178,000 asylum seekers. The total now stands at 560,000, far more than Quebec can manage on its own, she said.

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“That’s not an increase, that’s an explosion,” Legault said.

Legault and Tanguay then clashed over the long-term impact of Quebec’s March budget, arguing whether the deficit means future spending cuts. Tanguay challenged Legault to confirm that future spending increases on health will be limited to four percent and three percent on education.

Later, St-Pierre Plamondon, who as the third opposition leader was only allowed 12 minutes to make his points, grew frustrated when he challenged Legault to say whether he would “be willing to consider” joining the Yes side in a referendum. of independence. if his Coalition Avenir Québec government reaches a dead end.

“I know you are relatively new to politics,” Legault told St-Pierre Plamondon. “But this is a highly hypothetical question and he should know that in politics we do not answer hypothetical questions.

“What I can say is that we don’t want a referendum, Quebecers don’t want it.”

Legault then criticized St-Pierre Plamondon’s statements in which he said that he did not see the need for independence in his face.

He said St-Pierre Plamondon doesn’t really want the federal system to work.

“I have not abandoned the fight,” he said.

And after losing his chief whip, Éric Lefebvre, to the federal Conservative Party, Legault said he does not rule out wading into the next federal election campaign to express a preference for one party or another, as he has done in the past with mitigated success. .

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