Quebec will hold a province-wide election on October 5, the latest date permitted under its fixed-date election law, in a contest shaped by voter fatigue, high living costs, strained healthcare and the escalating U.S.-Canada trade war. Premier Christine Frechette launched her campaign for the right-leaning Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) by calling U.S. President Donald Trump a “real adversary” and seeking a mandate to protect Quebec businesses and workers through economic uncertainty. The CAQ has governed since 2018 and won re-election in 2022, but the separatist Parti Quebecois (PQ) is leading polls. The election is Frechette’s first voter test since she became CAQ leader in April after former Premier Francois Legault stepped down. PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has said the party would not hold an independence referendum until 2029, while polls over the past two years have shown a solid majority of Quebec residents oppose breaking away from Canada.