Full Breakdown
Éric Duhaime Leads Quebec Conservatives to Historic Legislative Breakthrough
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Conservative Breakthrough in the National Assembly
The Conservative Party of Quebec secured 19 seats in the latest provincial election, marking the first time in almost a century that the party won representation in the National Assembly. The victory gives the party a pivotal role in the minority government led by the Parti Québécois. Party leader Éric Duhaime won the Bellechasse riding in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, becoming an MNA for the first time in his career.
Background to Duhaime’s Rise
Duhaime assumed the party leadership in 2021 with a near-unanimous vote and inherited a movement that had previously held a single seat, occupied by Maïté Blanchette Vézina after she left the CAQ. Prior attempts to win a seat date back to 2003, when he ran for the now-defunct Action démocratique du Québec in Deux-Montagnes, and to the 2022 provincial election, where the Conservatives captured 12 % of the popular vote but no seats. In 2018 the party’s vote share was under two percent.
Election Results and Statistics
- Projected total: 19 Conservative MNAs (CBC News).
- Duhaime’s Bellechasse win: first Conservative seat in the National Assembly in nearly 91 years (CBC News).
- 2022 vote share: 12 % for the Conservatives, translating to zero seats (CBC News).
- 2018 vote share: under two percent (CBC News).
Official Statements & Responses
Duhaime told supporters that his party would pursue “right-wing Conservative ideas” and that he would work with all parties while refusing any concession on the issue of a referendum. He emphasized a focus on tax cuts, cost-of-living relief, and opposition to any future referendum.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Tonight, hope has returned to Quebec,” — Éric Duhaime, leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec