Sovereigntist Parti Québécois wins Quebec election; Wakeham looks forward to working with new premier on finalizing Churchill Falls deal

News, Politics October 5th, 2026

The sovereigntist Parti Québécois has won the Quebec provincial election, the CTV Decision Desk declared Monday evening.

PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon will become the province’s next premier, succeeding Christine Fréchette, whose Coalition Avenir Québec has likely been wiped off the electoral map after governing for eight years. But the PQ fell short of a majority, with the CTV Decision Desk also declaring it will be a minority government. The federalist Liberal party will form the official opposition.

It was Premier Fréchette who signed the new Churchill Falls deal in St. John’s in August. St-Pierre Plamondon has said a PQ government will not tear up the deal just for the sake of it, but will conduct a “due diligence review.”

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeahm congratulated Premier-designate St-Pierre Plamondon on social media Monday night.

“Congratulations to Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and the Parti Québécois on their victory,” Wakeham wrote. “I also want to thank Premier Christine Fréchette for her service to Quebec and for her leadership.

“I look forward to working with Premier-designate St-Pierre Plamondon in the coming days, and with his new government to finalize the definitive agreements for our new and better deal for Churchill Falls.”

Wakeham is expected to comment further on the results of the Quebec election on Tuesday.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal opposition also released a statement raising concerns about the PQ’s stance on the Churchill Falls deal.

“The new separatist government also raises questions around the pending Churchill Falls agreement,” the Official Opposition office wrote. “PQ Leader and Premier-Designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon once called the 2024 MOU ‘humiliating’ for Quebec but now says Premier Wakeham’s deal ‘seems to be a good agreement’ for Quebec. 

“While this is concerning, the Parti Québécois has said it will review the deal, creating an opportunity for both sides to return to the negotiating table.

“Premier Wakeham should use this opportunity to correct the mistakes in his Churchill Falls and Gull Island deal and fight for a deal that better protects Newfoundland and Labrador’s interests.”