François Legault attended his last sitting at the legislature as Quebec premier on Thursday as he steps down as head of the province and leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) party, marking the end of a political era after more than seven years at the helm.
His resignation follows two consecutive majority victories and comes after guiding the province through significant moments, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 68-year-old is not leaving politics entirely and plans to remain a member of the National Assembly until the provincial election scheduled for October.
Legault spent his final day as party leader at the National Assembly, walking its corridors one last time as premier.
In his farewell speech, he reflected on his time in office, pointing to both accomplishments and challenges since first bringing the CAQ to power in 2018.
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Legault has been known for his high approval ratings throughout the pandemic and for butting heads with the federal Liberals over immigration and his party’s controversial secularism law.
“We have the right to hope that Quebec stays Quebec,” he said in French.
He closed with a message of hope for the future.
“(I) believe in the next generation, believe in the future, believe in humanity, and believe in us. Thank you everyone,” he said.
Several cabinet ministers appeared emotional as they paid tribute, while opposition members also expressed respect. In a rare moment, politicians crossed the floor to shake his hand.
“I think today is just a time to thank him for his public service,” said Liberal MNA André Fortin.
Before entering politics, Legault founded Air Transat. He was first elected in 1998 with the Parti Québécois and remained with the party until leaving politics in 2009.
He later returned to found the CAQ in 2011, leading it to victory in 2018 and again in 2022.
In recent years, however, his government faced mounting challenges, with declining popularity and the party falling to last place in the most recent polls.
“I think that he lost touch with the population of Quebec,” said political analyst Daniel Béland.
The national assembly is on recess next week and the Coalition Avenir Québec is scheduled to choose a new leader on April 12.
Either Christine Fréchette or Bernard Drainville will be sworn in as the new premier shortly after the weekend’s leadership convention.
–With files form The Canadian Press
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