Health care and housing dominated the Quebec election campaign Monday, as the Coalition Avenir Québec pitched shorter wait times through greater use of private clinics, the Liberals promoted prefabricated housing, and the Conservatives revived debate over shale gas development.
Campaigning in Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez, CAQ candidate and former minister Christine Fréchette defended the government’s health-care record and the creation of Santé Québec, saying access to services has improved under the agency.
Fréchette also unveiled a proposal that would allow doctors to work simultaneously in both the public and private systems. The idea marks a shift from measures introduced under former health minister Christian Dubé that restricted physicians’ ability to move between the two sectors.
“We’re talking about the possibility to work at the same time for the public sector and the private sector,” Fréchette said, arguing the change would improve access to care and help reduce surgical wait times.
In Sherbrooke, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon criticized the CAQ government for expanding bureaucracy during its eight years in office. He promised to save $1.6 billion annually by reducing the size of the public sector and reiterated his pledge to abolish Santé Québec if elected.
“The campaign of the CAQ is about continuity, going forward towards a cliff,” he said.
Quebec Liberal Party Leader Charles Milliard, centre, tours Bonneville Industries, a modular home builder with co-president Eric Bonneville, left, during a campaign stop in Beloeil, Que., on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. Quebec votes in a provincial election on Oct. 5, 2026.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
Housing was front and centre for Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard during a stop at a factory on Montreal’s South Shore that manufactures prefabricated homes.
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Milliard promised to support the construction of 100,000 homes a year across Quebec, with half of them built using prefabrication methods. He said a Liberal government would use Investissement Québec to help companies expand production capacity.
“It’s not a magic wand, but there’s a concept of supply and demand and by raising the supply, we’re going to be decreasing the average rent,” Milliard said.
Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime made headlines with a proposal to restart shale gas exploration in Quebec. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has been banned in the province since 2018, but Duhaime argued advances in technology have reduced the environmental impact of the practice.
“It’s time for Quebec to stop being dependent on Donald Trump in terms of natural gas,” Duhaime said.
Asked about the proposal, Fréchette said she is not opposed to discussing the idea, describing her position as neutral.
Québec solidaire strongly criticized the fracking plan. Party spokesperson Ruba Ghazal called it harmful for the climate and instead focused on education, promising to hire 2,000 additional workers to help prevent students from dropping out of school.
“They will come back to our education system. And they will stop leaving it,” Ghazal said.
Meanwhile, a new poll from Pallas Data suggests the Parti Québécois remains in first place, though the CAQ has narrowed the gap. The survey also found respondents viewed Fréchette as the leader best equipped to guide Quebec through the ongoing tariff crisis, while Liberal support continued to decline.
