As the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) officially launched its election campaign this Thursday, party leader Christine Fréchette took a confrontational tone regarding U.S. trade policy. Fréchette explicitly identified former President Donald Trump as her “real adversary” in the upcoming contest, positioning her party’s platform against the potential economic impacts of his trade agenda on the province of Quebec.

Fréchette’s comments come amid broader concerns in Canada regarding the stability of trade relations with the United States. By centering her campaign rhetoric on a high-profile international figure, Fréchette is attempting to consolidate support by emphasizing the vulnerability of Quebec’s economy to external trade pressures. The CAQ, which is generally considered a right-leaning party, is using this nationalist-adjacent framing to signal that protecting Quebec’s commercial interests is the most urgent priority for voters.

While the CAQ has historically focused on provincial autonomy and identity politics, this shift toward international trade policy highlights how U.S. political developments are increasingly influencing regional elections in Canada. Fréchette’s declaration serves as a strategic move to define the stakes of the election, effectively casting the CAQ as the primary defender of Quebec’s economic sovereignty against American protectionist policies. There is currently no public response from the Trump campaign regarding these remarks, nor has there been a detailed breakdown of how the CAQ intends to mitigate trade impacts beyond this rhetorical positioning.