Mathieu Lévesque, former MNA for Chapleau in the Outaouais region, has been appointed interim leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ). Lévesque served for several months as minister responsible for youth and the minister delegate for regions. He has represented Chapleau since 2018 but lost his seat in the Oct. 5 election. He was a founding member of the CAQ. “I wish to put my experience and convictions at the service of the Party. I firmly believe that we represent the true third way. Now, we must all engage in some soul-searching together,” Lévesque wrote in a press release Sunday. “That is why I humbly accept this important responsibility. And I am committed to working to rebuild our party alongside our members and activists.” Lévesque has been a member of the Quebec Bar since 2013 after earning a Bachelor of Law from McGill University in 2011. He also studied public administration and political science at the University of Ottawa. He received a Master’s degree in management sciences, specializing in management, at HEC Montréal. He also wrote a book on how the party reflects the nationalist tradition rooted in Quebec’s past. He replaces Christine Fréchette, who resigned as party leader the day after the election, when the CAQ failed to win a single seat in the provincial vote. When the National Assembly was dissolved in August ahead of the election campaign, the CAQ held 79 seats. The party governed Quebec for eight years, first under its founder François Legault, and later under Fréchette. Fréchette became premier in April after winning the CAQ leadership race. She succeeded Legault, who won back-to-back majority governments in 2018 and 2022. He stepped down in January 2026 after polls showed his party was losing support among Quebecers. The Parti Québecois won a minority government in the general election, winning 59 seats with 28 per cent of the popular vote. The caucus was sworn in at the National Assembly last week. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon will be sworn in as premier on Wednesday. The Quebec Liberal Party formed the official opposition, winning 40 seats with 24 per cent of the popular vote. The Conservative Party of Quebec won 19 seats, while Québec Solidaire won nine seats.
