Quebec separatists create new test for PM

UNEASY ALLIANCE: The PQ said it would delay a referendum, but some policies, such as plans to resist any federal bid to boost immigration, could boost tensions with Ottawa

A separatist party on Monday night narrowly won Quebec’s election, a result that could make it tougher for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to maintain national unity against US President Donald Trump.

Provisional results showed the predominantly French-speaking province of 9 million people had opted for the Parti Quebecois (PQ) of Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who is promising to hold a referendum on breaking from Canada once Trump leaves office.

At a jubilant victory party in Montreal, the 49-year-old former lawyer invoked “the courageous struggle” francophones have endured in a part of the world increasingly dominated by English speakers, adding that the “will find meaning when [francophones] obtain their own country.”

Parti Quebecois supporters cheer as members of the party are elected in Montreal on Monday night.

Photo: AFP

“A referendum is a chance to decide things for ourselves ... our national destiny will be achieved one day,” he told cheering supporters.

He still faces challenges, as the PQ only won 59 of the 127 seats in the Quebec National Assembly, or five short of a majority. The legislature must approve a referendum vote.

Plamondon conceded he would need support from opposition parliamentarians to proceed.

The widely expected result reflected voter fatigue with the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) government, in office since 2018, analysts said.

The CAQ lost all its 79 seats.

Carney, who has stressed the need for a united front to tackle Trump’s tariffs, must now work with a Quebec premier who is determined to break up Canada.

In addition, the energy-rich province of Alberta is to hold a nonbinding vote this month on whether its residents want independence.

Independence votes held by previous PQ governments in 1980 and 1995 failed, and polls indicate support for the idea of breaking with Canada is at 30 percent, near record lows.

Carney congratulated Plamondon, writing on X that “building a stronger Quebec is core to our mission of building a stronger Canada.”

The prime minister is popular in Quebec, and the separatist win was not seen as a repudiation of his stance toward Trump, whose confrontational policies have infuriated Canadians.

Plamondon, citing the political uncertainty and economic damage done by the tariffs, said he would not call another referendum until Trump is out of White House.

In remarks addressed to Carney, Plamondon said he would defend Quebec’s interests above all, but reiterated that he was happy to work with Ottawa whenever it suited Quebec.

Despite the unclear referendum prospects, some PQ policies look set to boost tension with Ottawa.

The party plans to resist any federal bid to boost immigration, cut Quebec’s ties to the British monarchy and block a proposed high-profile high-speed rail link with Ontario.

The PQ — which benefited significantly from vote-splitting between the five major parties in the fray — took just 27.9 percent of the vote, the lowest share of ballots ever captured by a winning party in Quebec electoral history.

The CAQ’s collapse reflects the fact that politics in Quebec is traditionally more volatile than elsewhere in Canada. The PQ jumped from seven seats to take power.

First-time voter Alexia Gomez, 19, invoked tensions with the US when she said she opposed an independence referendum.

“If Quebec becomes independent it would make us politically, economically and militarily vulnerable,” she said.

Lydie Periard, a 22-year-old student, said she was “very worried” by the PQ’s victory, condemning what she termed the party’s “populist” stance on immigration.

The PQ has backed immigration cuts, particularly for non-French speakers.