Ottawa residents watching next month's Quebec election might expect language and secularism to dominate the campaign, the way they did for years under former premier François Legault, but the parties running this fall have mostly gone quiet on the subject.
A Debate the Parties Would Rather Skip
Christine Fréchette, who succeeded Legault as premier in April 2026, has shown little interest in pursuing her predecessor's nationalist agenda. Ahead of the October 5 election, the province's political leaders seem to have little desire to reignite a debate over secularism and language rules that now seem like a fait accompli.
Where the Parties Stand
Fréchette's Coalition Avenir Québec has not dropped language policy entirely. She has promised to expand Bill 101 and prevent adults from choosing the language they wish to be instructed in, a move that would push the province's French-language protections further than they already reach.
The Parti Québécois, led by Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, treats Bill 21 and Bill 96, the two pieces of legislation Legault championed, as settled wins. The party views them as having been popular among Quebec secularists, nationalists and conservatives, and shows no appetite for revisiting them.
Éric Duhaime's Conservative Party of Quebec splits the difference: he opposes Bill 96 but supports Bill 21, putting him at odds with his own coalition on language while lining up with the CAQ and PQ on secularism.
Québec Solidaire has taken the most critical line. MNA Ruba Ghazal has specifically identified the CAQ's secularism laws as a reason for the public education sector's loss of qualified staff, arguing the rules have driven teachers away from Quebec classrooms at a time schools can least afford it.
A Ruling Still to Come
Even if the campaign trail stays quiet on the issue, the courts may not cooperate. The Supreme Court of Canada is expected to issue a landmark decision on Bill 21 in the coming months, a ruling that could force the secularism law back into public debate no matter who wins on October 5.
What Led Here
The financial and administrative sides of this election have already drawn attention on this side of the river. ottown's earlier report looked at how all five main parties plan to balance Quebec's budget by 2028-29 or 2029-30 through very different spending and tax choices, and a follow-up piece examined the Parti Québécois's promise to get there a year early.
Why Ottawa Should Care
Ottawa shares a river, a labour market and thousands of daily commuters with Quebec, which means the province's political choices rarely stay on the other side of the bridges. Whatever the parties are avoiding on the campaign trail, the courts and the labour market will keep raising it.
Sources: Cult MTL, The Globe and Mail
