Quebec’s newly elected Parti Québécois government is set to announce the lineup of key cabinet ministers on Wednesday. The swearing-in ceremony for the PQ ministers and the incoming premier, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, will kick off at 1:30 p.m. at the National Assembly.
CBC will be covering the event live. Radio-Canada sources have revealed that important portfolios will be assigned to MNAs Marie-Karlynn Laflamme, Joël Arseneau, Nicolas Marceau, and Catherine Gentilcore.
Laflamme, representing Chicoutimi, will assume the role of minister of health, prevention, and seniors. She won her seat in a by-election in February 2026 and is one of the ten caucus members with prior National Assembly experience. Her tasks include fulfilling the promise to abolish Santé Québec.
Arseneau, the MNA for the Magdalen Islands, will take on the role of education minister. He has been in opposition since 2018, making him one of the seasoned members of the PQ caucus.
Former finance minister under Pauline Marois’ government, Nicolas Marceau, will return to his former position. Catherine Gentilcore, the MNA for Terrebonne, will serve as the immigration minister for the PQ.
Veteran politician Alain Therrien, who previously served in Ottawa for the Bloc Québécois, will now hold the positions of treasury board president and minister responsible for government administration.
Pascal Bérubé, elected to the National Assembly in October 2022, will also be part of the cabinet, but his portfolio has not been specified.
Other key positions include Stéphane Paquet taking charge of the economy and energy portfolio and Nicolas Girard overseeing transportation and sustainable mobility.
Guy Lapointe Jr., with experience in Montreal’s fire department and Sûreté du Québec, will lead the Ministry of Interior Security. Marie-Claude Sarrazin, known for her role in the SAAQclic fiasco, will be the justice minister.
Anne Nguyen, MNA for Prévost, will head the artificial intelligence and digital affairs portfolio. The cabinet will consist of 22 ministers, with St-Pierre Plamondon as the 23rd, which is six fewer than the previous cabinet under Christine Fréchette.
Following the PQ’s election win on October 5, the party formed a minority government with 59 out of 127 seats, falling five short of a majority. The swearing-in of the 59 MNAs took place last Thursday, with Quebec Liberal Party and Québec Solidaire MNAs being sworn in this week. The Conservative Party of Quebec’s 19 MNAs will have their ceremony on Thursday.
The upcoming ceremony on Wednesday will be significant as it will be the first time that the lieutenant-governor will not preside over the swearing-in ceremony of a new government’s cabinet at the National Assembly. This occurs amidst a constitutional challenge where a lawyer argues that a 2022 law removing the allegiance pledge to the King could render MNAs unlawfully seated in the National Assembly.
The Superior Court is expected to issue a decision on the matter within the next month.
