Quebec’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) leadership candidates are staking out distinct positions on key policy issues as the race to replace Premier François Legault intensifies. Christine Fréchette, a CAQ member of the National Assembly, has pledged to protect school funding by indexing budgets to the rate of inflation, a move designed to prevent future cuts like those imposed last year by former Education Minister Bernard Drainville.
Drainville, also a candidate in the leadership race, implemented budget restrictions of $510 million to school service centers (CSS) last summer. Fréchette aims to prevent a recurrence through legislation guaranteeing the inflationary adjustment. “The objective is clear: to protect services for students […] against all future cuts. This law will ensure better predictability for the CSS,” she stated in a press release Wednesday.
Beyond funding, Fréchette proposes accelerating school construction through partnerships with the private sector. Under her plan, private entities would assume responsibility for building, owning and managing school properties, including maintenance and major renovations. School service centers would remain responsible for educational needs, define functional standards, and act as long-term tenants with potential for eventual building ownership.
Fréchette also advocates for a “collaborative mode” for project development, a model already utilized for major projects in Quebec that emphasizes transparent risk-sharing. She further intends to streamline operations within schools by reducing administrative burdens and increasing flexibility for school teams.
“Education is a priority, and it is time to refocus our action on this fundamental mission. As leader of the CAQ, I commit to […] guaranteeing stable and predictable services for students,” Fréchette said. “There must also be less paperwork, more flexibility on the ground, and schools built more quickly. Every decision will be guided by a single objective: to offer more services to our young people and ensure their success.”
In contrast to Fréchette’s focus on education funding, Bernard Drainville has proposed cutting social assistance to asylum seekers. He cites a significant increase in the number of asylum seekers in Quebec, rising from 60,871 in 2021 to a projected 190,163 in 2025, as placing an unsustainable strain on public services.
Drainville’s plan would limit access to social assistance for asylum seekers to six months, with exceptions for those facing severe employment constraints. He also intends to eliminate access to the Program d’allocation-logement, which provides a monthly allowance of $100 to $170 to eligible households. Priority for social housing would be given to citizens, and he indicated a willingness to invoke the notwithstanding clause to reserve daycare spaces for Quebec residents and permanent residents.
Drainville is also calling for increased pressure on the federal government to restrict Canada’s asylum laws, citing examples from several European countries. He further announced plans to protect the economic interests of snowmobilers and ATV riders, proposing an end to double taxation in controlled exploitation zones (ZECs) and excluding off-road vehicle infrastructure from municipal property assessments. He claims these activities generate nearly $4 billion in economic benefits annually for Quebec.
“Snowmobilers and quad riders have been funding their network for decades,” Drainville stated. “What they are asking for is to stop putting obstacles in their way.” He argues that addressing these regulatory issues would be a cost-effective way to support the industry and regional economies.
