Quebec Separatists Return to Power, Promise New Independence Referendum

The separatist Parti Québécois has won Quebec’s provincial election, returning to power after more than a decade but falling short of the majority needed to govern alone.

Led by Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, the PQ secured 59 of the 127 seats in the National Assembly, five short of the 64 required for a majority. The result means the party will form a minority government and need support from opposition lawmakers to pass legislation and survive confidence votes.

St-Pierre Plamondon has pledged to hold another referendum on Quebec independence, although he has said the vote would not take place while US President Donald Trump remains in office. He presented sovereignty as a way of protecting Quebec’s French-speaking identity and said Quebecers should ultimately decide the province’s future.

Speaking after the result, St-Pierre Plamondon acknowledged that voters had not given his party the majority it sought and said he understood the need to work with other parties.

The PQ’s return to power does not, however, establish that Quebec voters have endorsed independence. Political scientist Daniel Béland of McGill University said the election was primarily driven by dissatisfaction with the Coalition Avenir Québec, which had governed the province since 2018. Support for independence remains around 30%, according to the analysis cited by AP.

The CAQ suffered a major defeat, losing all its seats in the legislature according to election-night results. Party leader Christine Fréchette also lost her own riding in Trois-Rivières and accepted responsibility for the result.

Prime Minister Mark Carney congratulated St-Pierre Plamondon and said Ottawa would work with the incoming Quebec government on issues including jobs, housing and the impact of US tariffs. The PQ’s minority status could nevertheless make its plans for an independence referendum more difficult, as federalist opposition parties have indicated they would resist such an initiative.

The election also comes at a sensitive time for Canadian national unity. Alberta is scheduled to vote on October 19 on whether to hold a referendum on separation from Canada, putting questions about provincial sovereignty back into the national spotlight.

Quebec has previously held two sovereignty referendums, in 1980 and 1995, with voters rejecting independence on both occasions. The 1995 vote was decided by less than one percentage point.