The Parti Québécois won a decisive victory in Monday’s provincial election, adding 56 seats and more than doubling its vote share compared with 2022. The party’s first return to power in 14 years was tempered by the fact that it fell five seats short of a majority, leaving its pledge to hold a referendum after Donald Trump’s term in 2028 unlikely to materialise. The PQ also captured just 28 percent of the popular vote, the lowest share for any governing party in Canadian history, according to analyst Philippe Fournier.
The result casts doubt on a range of PQ initiatives, including a referendum, abolition of the monarchy, the extension of Quebec’s stringent language laws to post‑secondary institutions, and a plan to cut immigration levels – a move that has drawn criticism from farmers and the business community. In his victory speech, PQ leader Paul St‑Pierre Plamondon pledged to be a “good‑faith collaborator” with the rest of Canada, addressing the crowd in English before announcing he would prevent the lieutenant governor from swearing in his government.
Public sentiment in Quebec appears firmly against another separatist debate. John Parisella, former chief of staff to two premiers, said that 70 percent of Quebecers do not want a referendum and that the province’s link to Canada remains essential, even if it is not emotional. The presence of Trump’s image on television has not spurred a desire for separation, according to Parisella.
The election also saw the collapse of the governing Coalition Avenir Québec, which failed to win a single seat and saw its leader resign after losing her riding. The Parti Conservateur du Québec, a populist newcomer, captured 19 ridings, while the Liberal Party regained seats in Montreal and the Eastern Townships. Meanwhile, Alberta is set to hold a “referendum on a referendum” on secession in less than two weeks, but polls suggest Albertans are similarly averse to separation as Quebecers have become to the east.
