Coalition Avenir Québec will not promise new tax cuts, Fréchette says as party unveils Quebec City candidates
Fréchette says Coalition Avenir Québec will not pledge new tax cuts as campaign begins, while the party unveils three Quebec City-area candidates this week.
Premier Christine Fréchette told reporters that the Coalition Avenir Québec will not include further tax reductions in its upcoming campaign platform, positioning the party against rival promises of sweeping fiscal relief. The announcement came as the CAQ presented three nominees for Quebec City ridings and signalled a visual rebrand around the premier’s leadership. Opposition leaders have seized on the competing economic promises, setting the stage for a sharply fiscalized pre-campaign.
Fréchette rules out additional tax-cut pledges
Fréchette said it is not the government’s intention to promise another round of tax relief during the election period, emphasizing fiscal boundaries the CAQ is unwilling to cross. She framed the decision as a defense of public services, arguing that deep tax reductions proposed by others would require cuts to programs Quebecers rely on. Her comments came during a media event announcing new local candidates in the Quebec City area.
Duhaime promises unprecedented tax reductions
Conservative leader Éric Duhaime, by contrast, has vowed what he described as the largest tax and levy reductions in the province’s history, tying those cuts to a plan to slim the size of the state. Duhaime has been explicit that shrinking government operations will be central to his party’s approach to deliver broad-based tax relief. The competing fiscal narratives mark one of the central policy contrasts as the campaign heats up.
Fréchette highlights recent SME tax relief
The premier pointed to measures already implemented by her government, noting a recent reduction in the tax rate affecting roughly 75,000 small and medium-sized enterprises shortly after taking office in April. She argued those steps reflect the CAQ’s record on improving conditions for businesses while maintaining service levels. Fréchette also invoked past governments to warn voters about the potential service trade-offs of deeper fiscal retrenchment.
CAQ names three candidates in the Quebec City region
At a Lac-Beauport event on Friday, the party introduced Christian Lachance as its candidate in Chauveau, Nathalie St‑Pierre in Jean‑Lesage and Françoise Faverjon‑Fortin in Vanier–Les Rivières. The selections were presented with an economic focus attached to each nomination, and party officials used the gathering to underscore local roots and professional experience. The move formalizes the CAQ slate in ridings that will be closely watched this campaign.
Candidate backgrounds and local dynamics
Christian Lachance, a business figure who has led the La Jacques‑Cartier Chamber of Commerce since 2025, will face Conservative contender Karim Elayoubi in Chauveau, a riding where the PCQ finished second four years ago. Nathalie St‑Pierre brings experience as a political adviser at provincial and federal levels and spent a decade in communications with the provincial markets regulator, placing her against incumbents and high-profile challengers. Françoise Faverjon‑Fortin, a former CEO of MedicAlert Canada and experienced board director, will defend a seat the CAQ has held since 2018.
Branding shift to “Équipe Christine Fréchette”
At the same events, party visuals and signage emphasized the new label “Équipe Christine Fréchette” rather than the Coalition Avenir Québec name used in years past. The change, ratified with Elections Québec in mid‑July, reflects an effort by the premier to project renewal and personalize the campaign message. Fréchette told journalists the name shift responds to voter demand for a refreshed approach and that the candidate slate is meant to reflect that renewal.
Opposition accuses government of using announcements to sway votes
The Parti québécois accused the government of leveraging public announcements this summer to influence electoral sentiment, alleging that recent measures effectively amount to vote buying. Fréchette defended the timing and substance of the announcements, saying they were part of the budget measures that her government presented and won approval for in March. The debate over whether routine budget implementation crosses into precampaign campaigning is expected to be a recurring point of contention.
The entry of high‑profile fiscal pledges from the Conservatives and a cautious posture from the CAQ crystallizes a central choice for voters in the weeks ahead: whether to prioritize immediate tax relief tied to structural cuts, or to protect provincial services while pursuing more modest business tax adjustments. As candidates take their places and party branding shifts toward a leader‑centred message, the debate over taxes, services and the size of government will remain central to the campaign conversation.
