Released by the Assembly of Quebec Catholic Bishops (AECQ)
Monday, Sept. 14, 2026

Beaupré, Sept. 14, 2026 — Gathered for their plenary assembly at Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec's Catholic bishops are inviting the province's citizens to head to the polls on Oct. 5 and exercise their right to vote.

Democracy can never be taken for granted; it remains inherently fragile. It can easily tip toward imbalance, disregarding the rights of individuals and communities and giving way to manipulation of every kind, even to violence in its many forms. Sadly, world events today offer no shortage of examples.

All citizens, then, have a role to play in helping safeguard their democracy. Everyone eligible to vote is invited to prepare themselves and to exercise that right faithfully, as a shared responsibility. Catholic faithful, like all citizens, and perhaps even more so, are called to take the electoral process seriously, as they seek to live out the Gospel values Christ calls them to.

Quebec and Canada offer us an exceptional quality of life: a vast, generous natural landscape with abundant water, fertile land where food is never scarce, a social safety net supporting health care and education, freedoms of expression and religion enshrined in our charters, equality between women and men, and real opportunities for personal fulfillment and economic growth for our businesses.

And yet, among us, close to home, people go without life's essentials. Prosperity does not reach everyone equally. Homelessness is rising, the soaring cost of housing and basic goods is leaving many short of what they need, the sick are not always properly cared for, and more women each year fall victim to violence.

Faced with circumstances this pressing, rights and freedoms are sometimes called into question in the name of security. Now, more than ever, each of us must think carefully about the choice we make in electing a new parliament. Our vote will shape, for years to come, our capacity for genuine dialogue, respect for human dignity and pursuit of the common good, the very things the Gospel calls us toward.

For Catholics in particular, "While our faith guides our daily actions, it also allows us to look closely at the political platforms before us and discern the choice we should make. Jesus preached commitment to those who are hungry, telling his disciples, 'You give them something to eat' (Luke 9:13). He gave priority to the poor, the sick, the stranger and the vulnerable, and calls us to do the same. Voting, too, is a way of loving our neighbour," says Bishop Martin Laliberté of Saint-Jean-Longueuil, president of the Assembly of Quebec Catholic Bishops.

*This communiqué is an English translation of the original French text issued by the AECQ, prepared in-house by the diocesan communications team.

Source: https://evequescatholiques.quebec/