QUÉBEC — Former Quebec minister Lionel Carmant announced Wednesday he’s rejoining the Coalition Avenir Québec caucus after a five-month stint as an Independent, as the governing party tries to mount a comeback ahead of the October general election.
A smiling Carmant made the announcement alongside outgoing Premier François Legault, whose party he left last year over concerns with a bill reforming doctor pay.
The uproar over the bill and Carmant’s resignation were part of a series of setbacks that led Legault to announce his resignation in January. This will be his final week in the legislature as premier — the CAQ is choosing a new leader April 12 — although he will continue to hold his seat north of Montreal until the Oct. 5 election.
Carmant told reporters at the legislature he wants to stand next to his old friend during his last days as premier. “When I left (the CAQ), François was there for me, and it was an incredible moment,” he said. “So it was important for me to be there with him during his last week.”
He praised Legault’s commitment to social services and youth, adding, “I’m very happy that our adventure at the CAQ is ending like it started: together.”
Carmant resigned in October amid widespread protest over CAQ legislation to change the way doctors are paid, including tying a part of their remuneration to performance targets. Carmant is a physician, and his resignation came after his daughter, who is also a doctor, openly mused about leaving the province if the bill was adopted. But while the CAQ has since removed some of the more contentious elements from the bill, the government has yet to reach a deal with specialist doctors.
“I am very happy that my friend Lionel is coming home,” Legault said Wednesday. “Lionel loves the CAQ family and the CAQ family loves him.”
Carmant, who was elected in 2018, served as a junior health minister and social services minister under Legault. His return is a small reversal in a vast wave of departures that has hit the Coalition Avenir Québec in recent months and years. The party, which was elected with 90 of the legislature’s 125 seats in 2022, dropped to 79 before Carmant’s return.
The departures include former health minister Christian Dubé, ex-forest minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina — who has since joined the Quebec Conservatives — and ex-municipal affairs minister Andrée Laforest.
Other cabinet heavyweights have announced they won’t run again in October, including Caroline Proulx, Geneviève Guilbault and Sonia LeBel.
Carmant had indicated he would rejoin caucus if Christine Fréchette wins the party’s leadership race. The winner — either Fréchette or Bernard Drainville — will have work to do ahead of the election, according to recent polls.
A Léger poll released earlier this week found the Parti Québécois and the Quebec Liberals tied for first place in voting intentions, at 33 per cent each. The Quebec Conservatives were favoured by 15 per cent of would-be voters, while the Coalition Avenir Québec finished tied at the bottom with nine per cent, along with Québec solidaire.
Poll aggregator Qc125.com estimates the party would not win a single seat if an election were held today.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2026.
— By Morgan Lowrie in Montreal with files from Caroline Plante in Quebec City
The Canadian Press
