The stakes of the Oct. 5 Quebec election are multifaceted for Charles Milliard, leader of the Liberal party. Milliard is attempting not only to become premier, but also to join the provincial legislature for the first time, and to rebuild the party after a poor 2022 showing and scandals surrounding its previous leader.
Age: 47
Hometown: Lévis, Que.
Before politics: A pharmacist by training, Milliard worked as an executive at pharmacy chain Uniprix and at public relations firm National before becoming president and CEO in 2020 of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, an organization advocating for economic growth and supporting businesses.
Education: He obtained a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Université Laval in 2002 and a master’s from HEC Montréal in 2007.
Family: Milliard is openly gay and has a partner.
Political record: Milliard joined the party in 2010 and announced a bid for the Quebec Liberal leadership in 2024, saying he was committing himself to Quebec politics for the next decade. He finished a close second to Pablo Rodriguez in the 2025 vote, taking 47.7 per cent of the points on the second ballot compared with Rodriguez’s 52.3 per cent.
After Rodriguez resigned in December 2025, Milliard entered the race to replace him and was crowned the party’s 17th leader on Feb. 13, 2026, after no other candidate qualified. He has described himself as a nationalist, regionalist and federalist and has made the economy, public services, regions, culture and housing his main priorities.
Milliard was approached by the federal Liberals to run in a 2024 byelection in the Montreal riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun but declined to focus on provincial politics.
Riding: Orford, in Quebec’s Eastern Townships.
Quote: “Learning to live with people who aren’t exactly like you — to me, that’s exhilarating; it’s positive. Uniting two peoples, two nations — I find that beautiful. Some people find it complicated; I find it beautiful,” Milliard told The Canadian Press in an interview about his views on federalism on Oct. 1, days before the Oct. 5 election.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2026.
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