A look at Coalition Avenir Québec Leader François Legault

Quebec’s general election campaign has begun, and voters head to the polls on Oct. 3. Here’s a look at François Legault, the premier and leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec.

Born: May 26, 1957, in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que., a city on the Island of Montreal.

Education: Has a Bachelor’s in business administration from HEC Montreal (1978) and a Master’s degree in business administration (finance) from the same school (1984).

Career before politics: Legault made his mark in the aviation industry when he co-founded Air Transat in 1986. He remained the airline’s president and CEO until 1997.

Political record: Legault was elected to Quebec’s legislature in 1998 with the Parti Québécois, where he served under then-premier Lucien Bouchard as education minister, vice-president of the Treasury Board and eventually health minister. He has been re-elected to the legislature six times. He co-founded the Coalition Avenir Québec in 2011 and has served as its leader ever since. Legault became Quebec’s premier in October 2018.

Family: Legault is married to Isabelle Brais and has two sons.

Riding: L’Assomption (north of Montreal).

Quote: “I want Quebecers to be proud of our successes, our entrepreneurs, our artists, our athletes, our history and proud of our culture. I want this pride to feed our audacity, so we’re we’re not afraid of aiming big, of being ambitious.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2022.