MONTREAL — Today is the deadline to apply to be leader of the Quebec Liberal Party.

Candidate Charles Milliard, former head of the Quebec federation of chambers of commerce, has the support of the majority of the party caucus.

Mario Roy, a farmer from Quebec’s Beauce region, is the only other person who has confirmed an interest in running, but he may be excluded by the party because of the debts he amassed from the 2025 leadership race.

Milliard, 46, came in second last year to ex-federal cabinet minister Pablo Rodriguez, who resigned in December amid a crisis involving allegations of vote-buying and reimbursed donations.

Milliard is promising to renew the party that has fallen out of favour with large swaths of the francophone majority.

The race unfolds at a pivotal moment in Quebec politics with the Coalition Avenir Québec also seeking a new leader after Premier François Legault announced last month he would step down.

Quebecers are scheduled to vote in the provincial election set for October.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2026.

The Canadian Press