The separatist Parti Québécois (PQ) has secured the highest number of seats in the election held in Quebec, Canada’s French-speaking province. The party’s leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, is set to become the province’s next Premier. This victory has brought the issue of Quebec’s independence from Canada back to the forefront.
During the campaign, Plamondon pledged to hold a third referendum on Quebec’s independence within his first term. However, he stated that he would not hold the vote before the term of U.S. President Donald Trump ends in January 2029.
A majority of 64 seats is required in the 127-seat Quebec National Assembly. It was not immediately clear whether the Parti Québécois had secured this number; without a majority, the party would have to form a minority government.
In the 2022 election, the Parti Québécois had won only three seats. This victory also marks the end of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government, which had been in power for eight years. Although the CAQ is a Quebec nationalist party, it does not advocate for independence.
According to McGill University professor Daniel Béland, this victory is a result of Quebec’s multi-party politics rather than a reflection of a major surge in public support for independence. Support for independence remains at approximately 30 percent.
Two referendums on independence were held in Quebec in 1980 and 1995. On both occasions, voters rejected the proposal to secede from Canada.
