Jean Boulet will announce Tuesday morning that he is leaving political life and will not seek re-election this fall. The move ends his tenure as the CAQ deputy for Trois-Rivières and removes a sitting minister from François Legault’s government before the provincial election.
Jean Boulet and Trois-Rivières
Boulet has represented Trois-Rivières since 2018, when the CAQ came to power. He currently serves as Minister of Labour and the minister responsible for Canadian relations, roles that place him at the center of the government’s day-to-day legislative work.
He also told ICI PREMIÈRE on Monday that there was “il n'y avait pas de date limite pour une confirmation, mais qu'on ne peut jamais donner de garantie absolue.” That statement left the public answer open until the Tuesday morning news conference, when he will say he is not on the starting line for the provincial election planned for this fall.
Christine Fréchette and the CAQ
His departure matters inside the government because Boulet has held several portfolios since 2018. He first served as Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity, then became Minister of Immigration in November 2021.
He later lost the immigration portfolio after a controversy about newcomers during the 2022 election campaign. Before Christine Fréchette was sworn in as CAQ leader and premier, he also served as Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy and minister responsible for the maritime strategy.
Fréchette now loses a colleague who has sat at the cabinet table across several files, while the Trois-Rivières seat will need a new CAQ standard-bearer for the fall campaign. Boulet’s announcement removes both a minister and an elected member from the party’s election plan at the same time.
Fall election in Quebec
The immediate next step is Boulet’s morning news conference, where he will make the decision public. For voters in Trois-Rivières and for the CAQ, the practical effect is already clear: the party will head toward the election without one of its long-serving ministers and without the deputy who has held the riding since 2018.
