Is Christine Fréchette exploiting the trade war, or just doing her job as Quebec premier?

Fréchette has been accused of using tariff war to gain traction with voters during election campaign

The leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec, Christine Fréchette, has come under fire from her political opponents after interrupting her election campaign and convening her cabinet amid the ongoing trade war with the United States.

During the meeting earlier this week, Fréchette donned her premier’s hat to discuss Quebec’s strategy in the aftermath of Canada’s retaliatory tariffs. She announced new measures to help businesses and the economy cope as tensions escalate.

But did the premier of a caretaker government cross a line? It’s a legitimate question, according to political analyst Antonine Yaccarini.

Fréchette launched her campaign coming off the back of two major announcements alongside Prime Minister Mark Carney, including a new Churchill Falls deal worth an estimated $70 billion and a new shipbuilding contract for Chantier Davie shipyard, in Lévis, Que.

This allowed Fréchette to position herself as an economic leader, according to Yaccarini, and to push the ballot question on tariffs, making the trade war a central part of her campaign.

In the lead up to Monday’s meeting, Fréchette was accused by rival parties — save for Québec Solidaire — of using the tariff war to gain traction among voters.

Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon was critical of Fréchette’s approach, saying in a written statement that “fear was not an economic strategy.”

He accused Fréchette of using "the Trump bogeyman” to distract from the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s record over the last eight years.

The criticism continued through the week.

Quebec Liberal Party Leader Charles Milliard pointed out that no other Canadian premier had held a cabinet meeting, a special meeting or a major news conference announcing new measures in response to the new tariffs.

“So, when there is talk of exploiting a crisis, you have a clear example of it right here," he said from the campaign trail.

In an interview with Radio-Canada on Wednesday, Milliard again criticized her actions, calling the cabinet meeting “a charade."

Fréchette’s measures to support Quebec against new tariffs draw criticism

Fréchette addressed the accusations this week.

"This is real life, and we need to face it, and we need to adjust our approach," she said Tuesday.

In her own interview with Radio-Canada, she argued that Quebecers expect a leader who defends their interests on issues such as the French language and supply management in U.S. negotiations.

'Damned if you do, damned if you don't'

During an interview on CBC's Breakaway, Yaccarini said that while Fréchette is clearly benefitting from the current crisis, she’s also just doing her job.

“She is still Quebec’s premier,” she said, adding that until a new cabinet is appointed, they remain the government and need to manage a number of issues.

“And that is the kind of issue right now that is very, very important and I think a lot of voters understand the situation,” she said.

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Yaccarini said Fréchette would also have been criticized if she did nothing. “So it’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation,” she said.

Daniel Béland, who heads the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said however, that as a caretaker government, Fréchette needs to tread carefully.

Because the National Assembly has been dissolved, there is no legislature to hold the government accountable, he said.

Caretaker government needs to show restraint

Under the caretaker convention — an unwritten rule in Canadian politics — governments need to show restraint and not enact major changes that will tie the next government.

And while it’s relatively rare for leaders to suspend a political campaign, there is a precedent for it. Both Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford took time out of their respective campaigns to respond to Donald Trump’s tariff threats in 2025.

Quebec 'will use every tool available' to cope with trade war, Fréchette says

Béland said while measures introduced by Fréchette — including giving Quebec-based companies an advantage in public tenders and buying local — did strengthen her political message, they were relatively limited in scope.

Both the PQ and the Liberals, however, panned the new measures. The PQ fears retaliation will hurt Quebec companies that are doing business in the U.S., while the Liberals said the plan doesn’t go far enough.

Béland said even though Fréchette can act as premier and that announcing new decisions can get her quite a bit of exposure, it also opens the door to criticism and she has to show restraint.

“If she will suspend her campaign again and there is no strong apparent trigger for it, then yes, I think she will be more vulnerable politically and that could help her opponents,” he said.

In the view of her opponents, the damage is already done. Milliard worries Fréchette is using her role as premier to turn the election into a one-issue campaign. He said he hopes that will change after the leaders' debates.

The main party leaders will be facing off in three French-language debates organized by Radio-Canada, TVA, Noovo and Crave. The first debate is scheduled for Sept. 15 and Radio-Canada’s French-language debate will take place Sept. 23 at 8 p.m.

Voters head to the polls on Oct. 5.

Annabelle Olivier is a digital journalist at CBC Montreal. She previously worked at Global News as an online producer. You can reach her at anne.isabelle.olivier@cbc.ca.

With files from Cathy Senay, Cassandra Yanez-Leyton and The Canadian Press