Bernard Drainville Joins CAQ Leadership Race Amid Political Shift

Quebec Environment Minister Bernard Drainville is poised to enter the race to become the province’s next premier, according to reports from Radio-Canada. An official announcement is expected late on Saturday. Drainville will be the second cabinet minister to declare his candidacy for leadership of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), following Christine Fréchette, the Minister of Energy and Economy, who plans to launch her campaign in her hometown of Trois-Rivières on Sunday.

The party’s next leader will assume the role of premier until the next Quebec election, scheduled for the fall. This leadership contest comes after François Legault announced his resignation earlier this month. Both Drainville and Fréchette have garnered public support from several members of the CAQ caucus, indicating a strong backing within the party.

As stipulated by the leadership race rules, both candidates will need to resign from their cabinet roles to prevent any conflict of interest. This is not Drainville’s first attempt to ascend to party leadership; previously, he competed to succeed Pauline Marois as head of the Parti Québécois (PQ) but withdrew in support of Pierre Karl Péladeau, who ultimately won the leadership in 2015.

Drainville, 62, first entered the National Assembly in 2007 as a PQ Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for the Marie-Victorin riding. He notably defended a controversial charter of values during his tenure as minister responsible for democratic institutions under Marois. After a hiatus from politics in 2016, he transitioned to a role as a radio host on 98.5 FM and previously worked as a journalist and correspondent for Radio-Canada.

In 2022, Drainville emerged as one of the CAQ’s prominent candidates, winning the Levis seat and serving as the education minister before being appointed environment minister in a cabinet reshuffle last September.

The official leadership race commenced on Thursday and will conclude with a vote during a leadership convention on April 12, 2024. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette announced on Friday that he would not participate in the race, citing family reasons. Former public security minister and Granby MNA François Bonnardel has also decided against running.

As the political landscape in Quebec evolves, the upcoming leadership contest is set to be closely observed, with implications for the province’s governance and policies in the coming years.