Former Quebec cabinet minister Mathieu Lévesque has been named interim leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec after the party suffered a crushing defeat in the Oct. 5 provincial election.
Lévesque replaces former premier Christine Fréchette, who resigned after the once-dominant party failed to win a single seat in the provincial legislature.
The CAQ held 79 of the national assembly’s 125 seats before the election campaign began.
Lévesque had represented the riding of Chapleau, in the Gatineau area near Ottawa, since 2018 but lost his seat in the election, finishing third.
In a statement, Lévesque says he accepts the responsibility with humility and that the party needs to engage in collective reflection.
A lawyer by profession, Lévesque served as minister responsible for youth and associate minister responsible for the regions under Fréchette.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2026.
— with files by Audrey Sanikopoulos and Helen Moka in Montreal
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.