Premier Christine Fréchette will seek to succeed former Minister Jean Boulet in the Trois-Rivières riding in the upcoming Quebec election. Fréchette confirmed her candidacy in her hometown on Thursday morning. The premier was first elected as a CAQ member of the National Assembly in 2022 in the Sanguinet riding, in western Montérégie. She subsequently held several key positions in the cabinet before becoming premier last April. In Sanguinet, she was reportedly set to face off against former PQ MNA and Bloc Québécois MP Alain Therrien. In Trois-Rivières, she will succeed Boulet, who announced his retirement from politics at the end of his term. Boulet had represented the riding since 2018. “Running in Trois-Rivières is a return to my roots. This is where I grew up, where I learned to love Quebec, our identity, our language, and our culture,” Fréchette said in a press release. “Today, I am choosing to come home to put all my experience to work for the citizens of Trois-Rivières and the Mauricie region.” Trois-Rivières is sometimes considered a bellwether riding for Quebec elections. According to projections by the poll aggregator Qc125, the Parti Québécois is expected to put up a close fight against the Coalition Avenir Québec. - This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 2, 2026.
