Separatists win Quebec election in test for Canada PM

The Hindu – International

You are logged in

Loading…

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one.

Your active subscription(s)

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials,
Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Products you’ve access to

Additional Subscription Benefits

Account Settings

Need help with your subscription?

Weather News October 6, 2026 e-Paper

The View From India
Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.

First Day First Show
News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.

Today's Cache
Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.

Science For All
The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in!

Data Point
Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers

THEdge
At the cutting edge of education and careers

Health Matters
Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there

Gender Agenda
Stories from beyond the binary.

The Hindu On Books
Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.

Weather News October 6, 2026 e-Paper

Published – October 06, 2026 09:03 am IST – Montreal

Parti Quebecois (PQ) leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon reacts to the results of the provincial elections, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on October 5, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Separatists won provincial elections in Quebec on Monday (October 5, 2026), with a promise to hold a vote on leaving Canada after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office, testing Prime Minister Mark Carney's message of national unity.

But the Parti Quebecois fell short of a majority government in Canada's French-speaking province, offering some solace for the federalist camp.

The PQ win still upends Canada's political landscape as the country confronts a trade war and annexation threats levelled by the United States.

It also comes just two weeks before Canada's oil-producing province of Alberta, an economic powerhouse, holds a separate vote on whether it wants to begin the process of leaving Canada.

The results make PQ leader Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon, a 49-year-old lawyer known by his initials as PSPP, Quebec's next premier. At a jubilant victory party in Montreal, his supporters chanted a famous separatist slogan declaring that "Quebec is a country".

The partial results indicated that the separatists won only about 30% of the vote, but vote-splitting among the federalist parties tipped the result in the PQ's favour.

"We have the right in a democracy to pose the question (to leave Canada)," 26-year-old oil worker Felix Marineau said. "Being against an independence referendum is being against democracy."

PM Carney congratulated PSPP, saying 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 Mr. Trump, whose trade war and annexation threats have infuriated Canadians.

Instead, the PQ's rise after more than a decade in opposition has been tied to frustration over affordability and an enduring desire to protect the French language in an increasingly anglophone country.

Surveys suggest that only about 30% of Quebecers want independence, but PSPP has maintained he will call a referendum on leaving Canada, just not while Trump is in office. He has said a decision on Quebec's independence "requires conditions that allow for an informed and calm debate."

That shouldn't be "hijacked by the theatrics of an unpredictable president," he added, ruling out a referendum until at least 2029.

Quebec has held two previous votes on leaving Canada. Federalists won comfortably in 1980, but the 1995 result was excruciatingly close, with just 50.58 percent voting to stay in Canada.

First-time voter Alexia Gomez, 19, invoked tensions with the United States when she told AFP 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.

PSPP may not have majority backing for an independent Quebec, but his plans to target the British monarchy appear far more popular.

Canada is part of the British Commonwealth. King Charles III, Canada's head of state, is represented in Ottawa by the governor general. Lieutenant governors represent the monarchy in the provinces, including Quebec.

In a 2025 Leger poll, 87% of Quebecers said they felt no attachment to the British monarchy, and only 31% expressed a favorable view of King Charles.

PSPP has said his government could cut off funds for the lieutenant governor, calling it a "masquerade that wastes money."

Published – October 06, 2026 09:03 am IST

Canada

/

World

/

USA

/

election

Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

BACK TO TOP

Terms & conditions   |   Institutional Subscriber

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

Fonte: The Hindu – International