The Parti Québécois is returning to power in Quebec as a minority government, reviving the independence debate.
The Parti Québécois won Quebec’s provincial election on October 5, returning to power but falling short of a majority, The Associated Press reported. The province’s National Assembly has 127 seats, and 64 are needed for a majority. The PQ is therefore set to govern as a minority.
The result ends eight years of rule by the center-right Coalition Avenir Québec and brings separatist leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon into the premier’s office. His party had last governed Quebec in 2014.
St-Pierre Plamondon has promised another referendum on independence, but says he would wait until U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office. He has argued that uncertainty over U.S. policy and tariffs could distort a debate about Quebec’s future.
The election result alone does not show that most Quebecers want to leave Canada. AP cited a McGill University political scientist who put support for independence at about 30%, describing the victory in part as a product of a divided, multiparty contest.
Prime Minister Mark Carney congratulated the PQ leader and said Ottawa would work with the incoming government. Carney had previously stressed the need for a united Canadian response to U.S. tariffs. The new provincial government’s referendum pledge is likely to keep Quebec’s constitutional future on the national agenda.