2025 Quebec Liberal Party leadership election

The 2025 Quebec Liberal Party leadership election will be held from June 9 to 14, 2025, to elect a new leader to replace Dominique Anglade, who announced her resignation on November 7, 2022 amid mounting criticism within the party for her performance in the 2022 Quebec general election and for her subsequent decision to remove Liberal MNA Marie-Claude Nichols from caucus. Anglade had led the party to losses in the election held a month earlier, finishing with only 21 seats and 14% of the popular vote, their lowest seat count since 1956 and their lowest share of the popular vote in their history; while the party remained the official opposition, they fell behind the governing Coalition Avenir Québec and opposition Parti Québécois and Québec solidaire to place fourth in the popular vote.

Rules and procedures

The race will officially start on January 13, 2025. Candidate registration will be available between the start of the race and April 11. To be registered in the race, candidates would need to collect signatures from 750 party members from at least 70 electoral districts and 12 administrative regions with 350 of those needing to be new members who became ones after May 27, 2024, and to deposit an $40,000 entry fee. The spending limit will be $400,000. The voting period will be between June 9 and 14, 2025, with every members of the party who were members on May 20 being able to vote. Points will be allocated to candidates with 250,000 of them being distributed according to results from electoral districts and 125,000 of them according to the vote of members 25 years old and younger. The candidate who win over 50% of the total amount of points become leader of the party. If no candidates reach this threshold, a second round will be organized between the two candidates who received the most points from the first round.

The requirements to enter the race, the spending limit and timeframes for the start of the race and the election, set in late 2024 and in the spring of 2025, respectively, were announced in October 2023. The precise dates of the start of the race and the voting period and other parts of the procedure were announced in April 2024.

Debates

In April 2024, the party announced that, if over one candidate is running in the race, four debates will be organized between April 12 and June 8, 2025.

Candidates

Declared

Expressed interest

• Frédéric Beauchemin, MNA for Marguerite-Bourgeoys (2022–present).
• Charles Milliard, CEO of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (2020–2024).
• Nicolas Tétrault, Businessman, Montreal city councillor for the Plateau-Mont-Royal (2001–2005), Candidate for the Bloc Québécois in Brossard—La Prairie in 2000, Candidate for the Parti Québécois in Robert-Baldwin in 1994.

Potential candidates

• Martin Cauchon, Candidate for the 2013 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (2002–2003), Minister of National Revenue (1999–2002), Secretary of State (Federal Office of Regional Development - Quebec) (1996–2002), MP for Outremont (1993–2004).
• François-Philippe Champagne, federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry (2021–present), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2019–2021), Minister of Infrastructure and Communities (2018–2019), Minister of International Trade (2017–2018), MP for Saint-Maurice—Champlain (2015–present).
• Luc Fortin, Candidate for mayor of Sherbrooke in 2021, Minister of Families (2017–2018), Minister of Culture and Communications (2016–2017), MNA for Sherbrooke (2014–2018).
• Antoine Tardif, Mayor of Victoriaville (2021–present), Mayor of Daveluyville (2013–2016), Former ice hockey goaltender.

Declined

• Gaétan Barrette, Minister of Health and Social Services (2014–2018), MNA for La Pinière (2014–2022).
• Karl Blackburn, Director General of the Quebec Liberal Party (2009–2013), MNA for Roberval (2003–2007).
• Sophie Brochu, President and CEO of Hydro-Québec (2020–2023).
• Madwa-Nika Cadet, Co-president of the Committee on the Revival of the QLP (2023), MNA for Bourassa-Sauvé (2022–present).
• Guy Cormier, President and CEO of Desjardins Group (2016–present).
• Alexandre Cusson, Mayor of Drummondville (2013–2020), President of the Union des Municipalités du Québec (2017–2019).
• Monsef Derraji, MNA for Nelligan (2018–present).
• Antoine Dionne Charest, Son of former premier Jean Charest, Member of the Committee on the Revival of the QLP (2023).
• Mario Dumont, Leader of the Action Démocratique du Québec (1994–2009), Leader of the Official Opposition (2007–2008), MNA for Rivière-du-Loup (1994–2009).
• André Fortin, Minister of Transport, Sustainable Mobility and Transport Electrification (2017–2018), MNA for Pontiac (2014–present).
• Jean-Marc Fournier, Interim Leader of the Quebec Liberal Party (2012–2013), Leader of the Official Opposition (2012–2013), Leader of the government in parliament (2010–2012; 2014–2018), Minister of Justice (2010–2012), Minister of Revenue (2007–2008), Minister of Education, Leisure and Sports (2005–2007), Minister of Municipal Affairs, Sports and Leisure (2003–2005), MNA for Châteauguay (1994–2008), MNA for Saint-Laurent (2010–2018).
• Sam Hamad, President of the Treasury Board (2016), Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity (2015–2016), Minister of Labour (2014–2015), Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade (2011–2012), Minister of Transport (2010–2011), Minister of Labour (2009–2010), Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity (2007–2010), Minister of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Parks (2003–2005), MNA for Louis-Hébert (2003–2017). (endorsed Moreau)
• Balarama Holness, Candidate in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in 2022, Leader of Bloc Montreal (2022–present), Candidate for Mayor of Montreal in 2021, Leader of Mouvement Montréal (2021–present), Canadian football player for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2008–2009) and the Montreal Alouettes (2010–2011).
• Joël Lightbound, MP for Louis-Hébert (2015–present).
• Bruno Marchand, Mayor of Quebec City (2021–present).
• Pierre Moreau, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources (2017–2018), President of the Treasury Board (2017), Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports (2016), Minister of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy (2014–2016), Minister of Transport (2011–2012), Minister responsible for Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs and the Canadian Francophonie (2011), MNA for Marguerite-D'Youville (2003–2007) and Châteauguay (2008–2018).
• André Pratte, Co-president of the Committee on the Revival of the QLP (2023), Federal Senator for De Salaberry (2016–2019).
• Alain Rayes, MP for Richmond—Arthabaska (2015–present), Mayor of Victoriaville (2009–2015).
• Marwah Rizqy, MNA for Saint-Laurent (2018–present).
• Marc Tanguay, Interim Leader of the Quebec Liberal Party (2022–present), Leader of the Official Opposition (2022–present), MNA for LaFontaine (2012–present).

Opinion polling

Leadership polls

Liberal supporters

All Quebecers

Scenario polls

Frédéric Beauchemin as leader

Denis Coderre as leader

Marwah Rizqy as leader

References

See also

• Quebec Liberal Party leadership elections