The Coalition Avenir Québec is a Quebec nationalist, autonomist and conservative provincial political party in Quebec. It was founded by former Parti Québécois cabinet minister François Legault and businessman Charles Sirois; Legault also serves as the party leader. The party membership includes both Quebec nationalists and federalists. Legault has said it will never endorse a referendum on sovereignty, but will seek more autonomy if necessary. Not long after its formation, the party gained nine sitting Members of the National Assembly of Quebec who had been elected as members of the PQ and of the Action démocratique du Québec; the ADQ later merged with the CAQ in January 2012. The party is registered with the Director-General of Elections in Quebec under the name Coalition Avenir Québec – L'équipe François Legault. Members and supporters of the party are referred to as "caquistes", derived from the French pronunciation of the party's initials.