TORONTO (AP) — The Quebec separatist Party won Quebec’s provincial election Monday but fell short of enough seats to govern alone, returning to power with a promise to hold another referendum on Canadian independence.
The result comes back The party of Paul St-Pierre Plamondon in power for the first time in more than a decade, but denies him the majority he sought, forcing separatists to rely on opposition parties even as they try to revive The debate on Quebec independence.
The party was on track to win nearly 60 seats at the time of the final vote count, far short of the 64 needed to secure a majority in Quebec’s 127-member National Assembly, the provincial legislature. A minority government means the PQ will need the support of opposition lawmakers to pass key laws and survive confidence votes.
St-Pierre Plamondon recognized that voters had denied his party a majority. “Quebecers elected the Parti Québécois by asking it to work with the other parties, and I heard this message,” he declared.
The leader of the PQ wants a vote for independence
He pledged to hold another referendum on independence, while saying he would wait US President Donald Trump is no longer in operation.
St-Pierre Plamondon presented independence as essential to preserving Quebec’s French-speaking identity, saying it was a “question of survival” for a French-speaking population that represents only a small fraction of North America. He said Quebec “simply wants to exist on its own, like other countries in the world” and that a referendum would allow Quebecers to decide their own future.
“I continue to dream and visualize this country,” St-Pierre Plamondon said in his victory speech. “This dream will come true one day.”
He also sought to reassure Canadians outside Quebec. “The independence project is not intended to exclude you,” he said. “Quebec will never change its geographical position, so we have an interest in working together.”
The leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec, Christine Fréchette, acknowledged her defeat, saying that the voters had made their choice and that she took full responsibility for the “difficult result.” The CAQ, which went into the election with 79 seats, was excluded from the Legislative Assembly and Fréchette lost his own seat in Trois-Rivières.
Victory is not a mandate for independence
But the PQ’s victory does not mean that most Quebecers are in favor of leaving Canada.
“It was not an election about independence, which is not popular in Quebec at the moment, but about the elimination of the CAQ, the party in power since 2018,” said Daniel Béland, professor of political science at McGill University in Montreal.
Support for independence remains at around 30%, low by historical standards, he said. Béland said the minority result is probably good news for That of Prime Minister Mark Carney government because it could make it more difficult for the PQ to prepare for and possibly call a referendum on independence.
The PQ would face opposition from the Liberals and Conservatives, whose leaders have said they would oppose efforts to hold a referendum on sovereignty. Québec Solidaire, another pro-independence party, could hold the balance of power and potentially support the PQ in a referendum.
Carney congratulated St-Pierre Plamondon and signaled that Ottawa would work with the new separatist government. “Building a stronger Quebec is at the heart of our mission to build a stronger Canada,” said Carney. He said the two governments would work together to support businesses and workers affected by U.S. tariffs, create jobs and build housing.
Quebec result adds to questions about Canada’s national unity
Nonetheless, Béland said a separatist government in Quebec poses a new challenge to national unity for Carney, particularly as another independence-related vote approaches elsewhere in Canada.
Quebec’s result comes two weeks before Albertans vote Oct. 19 on whether to hold a referendum on separation from Canada.
“Seeing that an independence party won in Quebec just two weeks before a referendum on independence took place in Alberta could suggest to the Trump administration that national unity remains a major issue in Canada despite the popularity of Mark Carney,” Béland said.
Quebec voters have twice rejected sovereignty, most recently by a razor-thin margin in a 1995 referendum.
Quebec, which is approximately 80% French-speaking, already enjoys significant autonomy. The province of 9.1 million people collects its own income tax, has immigration policies favoring French speakers and laws prioritizing the French language over English.
Even with the PQ’s victory, Trump’s tariffs and 51st Estate rhetoric complicated the separatist argument by stoking Canadian nationalism and giving some French-speaking Quebecers another reason to value remaining part of Canada.
Trump’s tariffs and repeated threats against Canada have become a defining issue in the 2025 federal election, helping to lift Carney Liberals to victory after the party had dragged on badly before Trump returned to power.
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