Sept. 19, 2026 Posted by The Canadian Press
Party leaders don't see eye to eye on support for fracking
Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said Saturday that she believes attitudes towards fracking are changing in the province. (Dany Pilote/Radio-Canada)
Shale gas became an issue on the campaign trail Saturday as Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette claimed more Quebecers are warming up to fracking amid trade tensions with the United States.
Fracking has already been raised during the Quebec election campaign, especially with the Quebec Conservatives pushing fossil fuels to boost the economy.
Fréchette was reacting to a report by La Presse that, citing its own survey, showed Quebecers are still heavily divided on the issue.
However, the newspaper said the survey showed support for fracking increased if used as a tool to gain autonomy from American markets.
The CAQ, under former premier François Legault, banned the exploration and production of shale gas in 2022.
During the race for the party leadership in the spring, Fréchette said she was open to revisiting shale gas development in Quebec.
"I think Quebecers have shifted their perspective a bit and I believe there’s greater openness to these possibilities," Fréchette said during a news conference in Trois-Rivières, Que., on Saturday.
"Is that openness enough to say we should consider moving forward? I’m not there yet, but I would say that if we ever get to that point, there will also need to be social acceptance."
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Québec Solidaire, the Quebec Liberal Party and the Parti Québécois have firmly opposed fracking for shale gas.
“To stand up to Donald Trump, we have to highlight what makes us strong. That's clean energy, hydroelectricity, wind power, and geothermal energy," said Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal on Saturday in Montreal.
“To stand up to Donald Trump, we have to highlight what makes us strong. That’s clean energy, hydroelectricity, wind power, and geothermal energy.We’re sitting on a gold mine called clean energy.”
Fréchette's economy minister, Eric Girard, skirted around the question of shale gas during the economics debate on Thursday evening.
However, Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime is a staunch advocate of shale gas, arguing that the technology has evolved and that it could even be an environmentally friendly option.
Fréchette was careful to distance herself from her Conservative opponent on the issue.
“Duhaime doesn’t seem to have any reservations. I, on the other hand, do have reservations. I have guidelines, and they will have to be respected if we ever decide to move forward,” she said.