Key takeaways from the first Quebec leaders’ debate

at 12:14 a.m. Last Updated: September 16, 2026 at 10:13 a.m. For the first time in the Oct. 5 general election campaign, the five main party candidates squared off for a live television debate Tuesday. The debate, the Face-à-face TVA , ran about two hours with two commercial breaks.

Three of the leaders, Christine Fréchette for the Coalition Avenir Québec, Charles Milliard with the Liberals and Ruba Ghazal of Québec solidaire, were first-timers to the debates.

Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and Quebec Conservative Party Leader Éric Duhaime, participated in the 2022 debates.

The debate arrived midway through the campaign. While polls indicate the PQ has a narrow lead , about 40 per cent of Quebecers are still undecided on how to vote.

The debate focused on three themes: an economy under pressure, our taxes and services, and Quebec’s future.