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In this election, the Liberal Party of Quebec (LPQ) is a shadow of the powerhouse it once was, a party that held government for about 86 years since Confederation, far exceeding any of its rivals.
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Charles Milliard, a former pharmacist, businessman and head of the Quebec Chambers of Commerce Federation, became leader in February 2026, after the previous leader Pablo Rodriguez’s tenure was cut short amid corruption allegations. Following Milliard’s leadership victory, the party’s poll numbers peaked in mid-April when the Liberals tied the Parti Québécois (PQ) at 32 per cent on average. Two weeks into the current campaign, Milliard’s numbers keep decreasing, dipping to lows of 21 per cent as of Sept. 8. To make matters worse for the party, the last few polls have the Liberals in fourth place among francophones, at around 10 per cent. The party leads nowhere except in the Montreal area, and even there the race has tightened.
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I had the chance to meet Milliard a while back. While I do believe he is there for the right reasons, it is unfortunate that he has so far failed to transform his accomplished career into clear leadership.
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Surprisingly, Quebec Liberals are failing to resonate in an environment where the PQ is making sovereignty a key issue of this campaign. Historically, the Liberals strive in such circumstances, rallying federalists around their banner. Instead, federalists are now being tempted to vote for Christine Fréchette, the premier and leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec, who uses the Trump tariff threat to rally federalists, bleeding away the last remaining solid electorate the Liberals had left other than the anglophone vote.
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The fundamental problem with Milliard is that when you stand for everything, you stand for nothing. He has so far demonstrated himself to be sitting on the fence on many issues. He has planted his flag in no man’s land: too timid for the fiscal conservatives, too much of a lightweight to play the role of Captain Canada, and utterly invisible to everyone in between.
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Take for example his stance on Bill 96, which greatly expanded laws mandating the use of French, including into the private sector. Shortly after taking the leadership, Milliard said he would keep using the notwithstanding clause for the bill to ensure it withstands any future Charter challenges. His anglophone caucus revolted and he had to reverse his stance the very next day, saying he was open to simply amending the bill. His indecisiveness extends to the construction of a third link, or highway, between Quebec City and Levis directly across the St. Lawrence. He says he is supportive of it but won’t commit to a specific option, stating only that he would keep studying the project … the same project which had been revived by his own party under former Liberal premier Philippe Couillard, back in 2017.
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His economic platform, usually a strength for the Liberals, suffers from the same uninspired plague: a provincial business tax cut from 11.5 per cent to 10 per cent that barely differs from what the CAQ already delivered and can’t compete with the 59 per cent cut promised by the Conservative Party of Quebec (CPQ). Milliard opted to work within the CAQ framework instead of breaking with it.