The Parti Québécois will form a minority government. On Monday, October 5, 2026, Quebec elected its 44th legislature: the Parti Québécois, led by Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, won 59 of the 127 seats in the National Assembly, according to Élections Québec results. The Quebec Liberal Party (40 seats), the Conservative Party of Quebec (19) and Québec solidaire (9) form the opposition; the Coalition Avenir Québec, in power since 2018, won no seats. Turnout was 66.89%.
What changes — and what does not. A change of government does not change your rights overnight: laws, programs and services remain in force, and files already underway keep being processed under the current rules. Campaign promises, however, take time to become laws or regulations. What the Parti Québécois promised on immigration, permits and French is set out in our article on its commitments. The new legislature opens on November 17, CBC reports.
The key point for newcomers: citizenship. To vote in a provincial election, you must meet four conditions, according to Élections Québec: be a Canadian citizen, be 18 or older on election day, have lived in Quebec for at least six months, and not have lost your election rights. A permanent resident, or someone on a work or study permit, cannot vote in provincial elections — even after years of living and paying taxes in Quebec. The right to vote opens the day you become a Canadian citizen.
Your registration carries over from one election to the next. You do not need to register again before each election: the list of electors is updated continuously. The one habit to keep is checking your registration before each vote, especially after a move, on the Élections Québec website.
Good to know for newcomers. If you are a Canadian citizen, make it a reflex to check your registration online before each election, especially after a move. If you are not yet a citizen, the October 5 election did not concern you at the provincial level — but nothing is lost: becoming a citizen opens that right, and our guide to the Canadian citizenship application walks through every step.
