Christine Fréchette

Christine Fréchette was born in 1970 in Trois-Rivières, Quebec.^[3] Her mother's family is originally from La Baie, a bourough in Saguenay, Quebec. She spent her youth in the Mauricie region, where she attended high school at École secondaire Chavigny and college at Cégep de Trois-Rivières. She then obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration (Economics and International Trade) from HEC Montréal in 1992 and a Master's degree in International Relations from Université Laval in 1994.^[4]

From 1995 to 1996, Fréchette was research and information coordinator at the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec. In 1996, she represented university students during a summit on the social and economic future of Quebec. The same year, she began working for the National Assembly as international affairs advisor to the parliamentary conference of the Americas, and as administrative secretary to the Franco-Quebec interparliamentary commission.^[5]

From 2000 to 2002, Fréchette was a consultant to the Conseil supérieur de la langue française. She continued her work as a public affairs consultant in private practice from 2002 to 2008. In 2002, she founded the North American Forum on Integration and was president of this organization until 2011. From 2007 to 2012, Fréchette worked for the Centre d'études et de recherches internationales de l'Université de Montréal (CÉRIUM) as coordinator of the study centers of the United States and Mexico.^[6]

From 2008 to 2012, Fréchette was a political analyst in the media, working for Groupe TVA, Société Radio-Canada, RDI, Radio 98,5 FM and Radio 93,3 FM.^[7] In 2012, Fréchette joined the office of the Parti Québécois's (PQ) Jean-François Lisée, who was minister for international relations, as a press attachée and deputy chief of staff.^[8]

She left the PQ after it introduced the Quebec Charter of Values.^[9] Fréchette defended her decision by pointing out that the CAQ also opposed the bill.^[9] Fréchette later pursued her career with Montréal International as director of external and institutional relations until 2016. Subsequently, from 2016 to 2021, she was president of the Eastern Montreal Chamber of Commerce.^[10][11][12]

In 2021, Fréchette considered running in the Montreal borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles with Denis Coderre's Ensemble Montréal, but she decided against it.^[13] She previously ran for Vision Montreal in the 2009 Montreal municipal election, placing second to Carl Boileau of Projet Montreal.^{[citation needed]}

In August 2022, Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) leader François Legault announced Fréchette as his party's candidate in the electoral district of Sanguinet in the 2022 general election. She was considered a high-profile candidate for the party.^[14] She was elected, receiving 48.8% of the vote and defeating Daphnée Paquin-Auger of the PQ.^[15]

After winning the CAQ leadership election, she was sworn in on April 15, 2026. She is also the first Generation X premier of the province. Her first acts as premier included a meeting with prime minister Mark Carney, cost-of-living measures, support for first-time homebuyers and small and medium enterprises, healthcare announcements, and renewing the notwithstanding clause protections around Bill 96.^[29] Her ministry was sworn-in on April 21, including multiple changes from the previous government and Ian Lafrenière as deputy premier.^[30]

Fréchette is married to financier Guy Nadeau and has a son.^[31][4]