Quebec’s incoming and outgoing premiers meet ahead of transition of power
Outgoing Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette stressed the importance of collaboration on Tuesday after meeting with Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon to discuss the transition of power.
The two leaders said they discussed the economy, unemployment, relations with the United States, and the Churchill Falls hydroelectric agreement with Newfoundland and Labrador during a meeting that lasted just under 50 minutes in Quebec City.
Both leaders emerged from the meeting side-by-side, delivering brief statements to reporters, without taking questions.
“We touched on all kinds of urgent and sensitive issues,” said St-Pierre Plamondon, who will lead a minority government in the Quebec legislature.
“I leave this meeting very satisfied,” he added, thanking Fréchette’s team for its co-operation. “We are looking at an orderly transition, marked by collaboration.”
Fréchette also stressed the importance of ensuring a smooth handover of power.
“It’s important to ensure a co-ordinated, proper transition,” she said. “Our teams will exchange information on the next steps.”
The meeting took place at the premier’s office in Quebec City’s Honoré-Mercier building. St-Pierre Plamondon will be able to officially move into the office after he and his cabinet are sworn in on Oct. 21.
Before then, newly elected Parti Québécois politicians are scheduled to be sworn in as members of Quebec's national assembly on Thursday.
The meeting between Fréchette and St-Pierre Plamondon comes eight days after Quebecers elected a minority Parti Québécois government in the Oct. 5 provincial election, bringing the sovereigntist party back to power for the first time since 2014.
The PQ won 59 seats, while the Quebec Liberals secured 40 seats to form the official Opposition. The Conservatives won 19 seats and Québec solidaire took nine.
The Coalition Avenir Québec, which had governed the province since 2018, failed to elect a single member.
On election night, Fréchette said she took “full responsibility” for her party’s defeat. She announced the following day that she was resigning as CAQ leader.
Meanwhile, a source within the Parti Québécois said Tuesday it is seeking a judicial recount in the riding of Champlain, in Quebec’s Mauricie region, where its candidate lost by 191 votes to a Conservative candidate.
The Canadian Press agreed not to identify the source because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the issue.
The party official said alleged irregularities had been identified during the counting of ballots on Oct. 5; approximately 80 ballots were missing from one ballot box and another 30 from a second box.
Conservative Adriana Szalontai defeated PQ candidate René Branchaud in the riding.
Quebec’s election law allows a recount to be requested when the margin between the top two candidates is less than one-thousandth of the votes cast.
Although the margin in Champlain does not meet that threshold, the PQ official said it believes it has sufficient grounds to convince the Court of Quebec to grant its request.
The Court of Quebec confirmed Tuesday that it had granted the PQ's request for a recount in Vachon, a riding in Longueuil, on the south shore of Montreal, where Liberal Affine Lwalalika defeated PQ candidate Stephan Fogaing by just 10 votes.
The recount for the Vachon riding is scheduled to begin Oct. 19 and is expected to last three days.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2026.
— with files by Caroline Plante from Quebec City
By Patrice Bergeron | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
7 choses à savoir sur Jacob Fowler des Canadiens de Montréal
De recrue à vedette montante, le gardien n'a pas fini de faire jaser! 👀
La situation devant le filet des Canadiens de Montréal continue de soulever les passions. Si Jakub Dobeš a été le héros du Centre Bell lors des séries éliminatoires le printemps dernier, la recrue Jacob Fowler ne donne pas sa place et s’impose déjà comme l’un des joueurs à surveiller cette saison.
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Rappelé du Rocket de Laval après la blessure de Samuel Montembeault, le gardien de 21 ans a volé la vedette samedi dernier, le 10 octobre, au Centre Bell. Il a signé un jeu blanc de 30 arrêts dans une victoire de 1à 0 en tirs de barrage contre les Red Wings de Detroit, sans compter les six patineurs qu’il a stoppés en fusillade. Signe que l'entraîneur Martin St-Louis lui fait confiance, il sera devant le filet pour un troisième match d’affilée ce mardi 13 octobre, contre les Sabres de Buffalo.
Comme tu n’as pas fini d’entendre scander son nom au Centre Bell, voici sept faits intéressants sur Jacob Fowler, le hockeyeur qui fait déjà rêver les fans.
Il vient de la Floride
Le numéro 32 du Tricolore est né à Melbourne, sur la côte est de la Floride, aux États-Unis. Il est d'ailleurs le premier gardien de but floridien dans l'histoire de la Ligue nationale de hockey (LNH).
Il est Sagittaire
Né le 24 novembre 2004, sous le signe du Sagittaire, Jacob Fowler fêtera ses 22 ans le mois prochain. Il est donc le deuxième joueur le plus jeune du CH, après Ivan Demidov (20 ans).
Il est fan des Canadiens de Montréal depuis son enfance
Même s’il a grandi en Floride, Jacob Fowler a toujours eu le CH dans le cœur. Au repêchage de 2023, il a raconté à NHL.com qu’enfant, il portait un chandail des Canadiens lors de sa toute première journée comme gardien. « J’ai des frissons chaque fois que je pense au jour où je porterai le chandail des Canadiens », avait-il ajouté. Mission accomplie depuis!
Il a de la famille à Montréal et au Québec
Si Fowler parle du Québec avec autant d’affection, c’est qu’une partie de ses racines est d’ici. Plusieurs membres de sa famille éloignée viennent de Montréal et de la province, puisque son grand-père s'est remarié avec une Québécoise. Il a d'ailleurs fait plusieurs voyages de ce côté-ci de la frontière dans sa jeunesse.
Fowler a étudié en communications
Avant de débarquer devant le filet du Bleu-blanc-rouge, Jacob Fowler a passé deux saisons avec les Eagles de Boston College, de 2023 à 2025, tout en étudiant en communications. Son programme l’obligeait à suivre un cours de langue étrangère, et son choix s’est naturellement arrêté sur le français.
« C’est très important pour moi d’apprendre la langue, a-t-il déjà mentionné en entrevue. Je souhaite le faire par respect pour l’organisation et ses partisans, mais aussi pour mieux comprendre la culture québécoise. »
Même s’il a délaissé les bancs d’école à temps plein pour le hockey professionnel, il poursuivrait ses études en ligne dans le but d’obtenir son diplôme.
Il a fait ses débuts avec le CH en décembre 2025
C’est le 11 décembre 2025 que Jacob Fowler a enfin réalisé son rêve. Rappelé du Rocket de Laval alors que Samuel Montembeault et Jakub Dobeš connaissaient des difficultés, il a fait ses débuts à Pittsburgh et a mené le CH à une victoire de 4 à 2. Un clin d’œil du destin pour celui qui a grandi en étant fan de Sidney Crosby, qui l’a d’ailleurs bombardé de sept tirs sans jamais le déjouer.
Sa famille l’a toujours suivi
Jacob Fowler est le fils de Kerri et Jay Fowler, et il a un frère, surnommé Jay Jay. Sa famille était d'ailleurs présente dans les gradins de l'aréna à Pittsburgh lors de ses débuts avec la Sainte-Flanelle.
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Goldentiger King, Cat Guy and wake surfing candidate eye B.C. local elections
British Columbia mayoral candidate Goldentiger King says he wants to "make Richmond rich again."
Teresa May, a first-time candidate for Kelowna City Council, has posted campaign videos showing her parasailing and wake surfing in red high heels and a white suit.
Another mayoral candidate in Richmond is Dennet “The Cat Guy” Lee — as his name will appear on the ballot — a man known for wheeling his pet cats around a shopping mall in a baby stroller.
B.C. voters in Saturday's municipal elections are being met with a range of unconventional characters and political strategies.
Stewart Prest, a professor in the political science department at the University of B.C., said while a "stunt candidate" could get some attention in a crowded field, the question is what comes next.
"They have to show that they are more than just a stunt candidate because it can come across as more of a joke candidacy than a real candidacy," said Prest.
"You have to show that if you are engaging in humour, that you are also taking the issues seriously, and you have ideas to present to the voters," he added, pointing towards King's "Trumpian" slogan as a high-risk strategy that could turn voters off.
King, sitting in a Vancouver café in a flashy double-breasted suit, a green zigzag pattern shirt and blue-and-silver necktie, wasn't worried about alienating voters.
"In fact, people are bound to remember me," said the candidate, pulling out his credit card to prove that Goldentiger King is his real name.
He explained his signature slogan, "make Richmond rich again."
"So, the city we live in, we call it Richmond, but the real name of the city should be 'Poormond.' Why? As we all know, the Canadian economy is in recession. In Richmond, we are facing many challenges," said King, who has lived in the city for eight years.
Canada is not in a recession, with StatCan saying real gross domestic product rose 3.3 per cent on an annualized basis in the second quarter.
King, speaking in Mandarin, described himself as a director, actor, and host of "famous" talk shows in China, before he immigrated to Canada from Beijing in 2018.
His proposals include setting up international music festivals to attract tourists and transforming the city into Canada's entertainment hub and "short-form video centre."
King then asked The Canadian Press to follow his advice to cut the interview video short.
"Nowadays, no one watches long videos anymore — most people's attention span is no longer than a minute," said King, who is one of seven candidates for mayor in Richmond, where longtime incumbent Malcolm Brodie is not seeking re-election.
King is not the only candidate with a focus on video.
May said wake surfing is "a big vibe" in Kelowna, as she discussed her viral campaign video.
"After the end of the day, you get up on that surfboard, and it feels like the wake is washing away your stress, right? And you just can't help but feel good, put a smile on your face," said May, who runs a movie talent agency and describes herself as a "lifelong entrepreneur"
May also posted a campaign video parasailing in her red heels to get "a fresh perspective" of the city.
Michael Angelo ABC RobinHood, is running for mayor in Burnaby, which he plans to make the "first food-self-sufficient city" in Canada.
RobinHood, a 39-year Burnaby resident who runs a painting and renovation business, is offering a 10 per cent property tax discount for homeowners willing to plant fruit trees and vegetable gardens in their backyards.
He said the policy could help not only Burnaby but also the whole country be self-sufficient amid the Canada-U.S. trade war.
"Americans are friends and neighbours, but we have a problem with their leader and government," said RobinHood, "So, I'm gonna make sure that we are really fully self-sufficient, independent from everywhere."
RobinHood also plans to donate his mayoral salary to pay for free school lunches in Burnaby.
In Richmond, another mayoral candidate stands out for his unusual name on the ballot.
Dennet “The Cat Guy” Lee is familiar to some Richmond residents for his regular appearance at Richmond Centre mall, where he wears a black leather jacket, sunglasses and headphones as he pushes two cats around in a stroller.
But the fitness trainer declined to be interviewed, saying in an email that he prefers "spontaneous, face-to-face conversations."
Standing out in a crowded field for the municipal elections is no easy matter — in Vancouver, for example, there are almost 160 candidates competing for ten council seats, while in Richmond, more than 50 candidates are fighting for eight seats on council.
In Kelowna, there are almost 40 council candidates for eight seats.
May said she needed a way to stand out and her videos are a "nice icebreaker."
“I am authentic. I am who I am, and this is why I wanted to do something a little different," she added.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2026.
By Nono Shen | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.