Pro-independence Parti Québécois wins Quebec election, promises referendum after Trump leaves office
Quebec’s pro-independence Parti Québécois won the provincial election on Oct. 5, returning to power for the first time in more than a decade and promising another referendum on separating from Canada - but not while U.S. President Donald Trump remains in office.
The Parti Québécois won 59 of the 127 seats in Quebec’s legislature, five short of the 64 needed for a majority. The Quebec Liberal Party finished second with 40 seats.
The governing Coalition Avenir Québec suffered a dramatic defeat, losing all of its seats after winning 90 in the previous election four years ago.
PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who is set to become Quebec’s next premier, has pledged to hold an independence referendum during his first four-year term.
He has said, however, that the vote will not take place while Trump remains U.S. president, arguing that his unpredictable policies could interfere with the debate.
Quebec, Canada’s only province with a French-speaking majority, has held two previous referendums on sovereignty, in 1980 and 1995. The second was narrowly defeated, with the pro-independence side losing by just over one percentage point.
Despite the Parti Québécois victory, polls cited by Bloomberg show that around 70% of Quebec residents currently oppose independence. The party also won only about 28% of the provincewide popular vote and will need support from another party to pass legislation and budgets.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney congratulated St-Pierre Plamondon, saying that “building a stronger Quebec is core to our mission of building a stronger Canada.”