Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) leadership candidates Christine Frechette and Bernard Drainville shake hands prior to taking part in a leadership debate in Laval, Que., Saturday, March 28, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

By The Canadian Press

Drainville, Fréchette spar over language, immigration in heated CAQ leadership debate

Mar 28, 2026 | 8:09 AM

LAVAL — The two candidates vying to replace François Legault as Coalition Avenir Québec leader and Quebec premier faced off over language and immigration in a heated final debate north of Montreal on Saturday.

Bernard Drainville and Christine Fréchette exchanged friendly greetings ahead of the start of the debate in Laval.

However, the debate grew fiery as Drainville repeatedly accused Fréchette of hesitation when it comes to protecting the province’s language and taking a firm stance on immigration.

As an example, he said she had not immediately called for the resignation Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau after he delivered an English-only message of condolence following a crash that killed two pilots at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

“When it comes to the defence of French, we can’t allow ourselves to have a premier that hesitates, that prevaricates,” Drainville told the room, drawing cheers from his supporters and boos from Fréchette’s.

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Drainville also accused Fréchette of having initially failed to call for the closure of Roxham Road, which was used by thousands of asylum seekers to enter Canada from the United States before being closed to irregular migration in 2023.

Fréchette, who was immigration minister at the time, accused Drainville of misrepresenting her stance on both issues.

She defended her record on immigration, saying she had been involved in the negotiations around a deal that was reached with the United States to turn away asylum seekers at unofficial border crossings and ultimately shut the road.

“I am the only one here who got results in the area of immigration,” she said. Fréchette also said she had called on Air Canada’s board to remove Rousseau from his role.

She also fired back at Drainville after the debate, suggesting that he, and not herself, was the “weather vane” whose opinions shift with the winds of public opinion. She noted her rival once ran for the leadership of the sovereigntist Parti Québécois, and accused him of changing his mind on a range of issues including private involvement in health care.

“When you compare his type of mindset and mine, we are completely different,” she told reporters. “He went (from) one extreme to another, changing his mind throughout the years,” she said.

The debate topics included health and social services, education, security, housing and homelessness, and immigration and identity.

Fréchette, a former economy minister, and Drainville, a former environment minister, are the only two candidates running to replace Legault, who announced in January he was stepping down as leader.

The winner of the leadership contest will be announced April 12. That person will become premier until the fall general election scheduled for October.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2026.

The Canadian Press