Canadaupdated 1h ago2 min read
Parti Québécois Wins Quebec Election, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon Returns to Power With Minority Government
Parti Québécois wins Quebec election and forms a minority government. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon becomes premier, marking PQ's return after a decade.
13 outlets told this the same way.
PQ wins, minority rule
The Parti Québécois won Quebec’s provincial election on Monday but fell short of the 64 seats needed for a majority in the 127-member National Assembly, returning Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s party to power for the first time in more than a decade. The election result sets up a minority government for the PQ, meaning St-Pierre Plamondon’s government will need support from opposition lawmakers to pass key legislation and survive confidence votes.
Christine Fréchette conceded defeat after the CAQ, which held 79 seats before the election, fell into obscurity with zero projected seats. Mark Carney congratulated St-Pierre Plamondon and said, “Building a stronger Québec is core to our mission of building a stronger Canada,” as he signaled Ottawa would work with the incoming separatist government.
Independence vote after Trump
St-Pierre Plamondon pledged to hold another referendum on independence from Canada, while he said he would wait until U.S. President Donald Trump is no longer in office.
Reuters said St-Pierre Plamondon is promising to hold a referendum on splitting away from Canada once Trump leaves office, and it said it was too early to say whether the PQ won a majority of the 127 seats.
Felix Marineau told AFP, “We have the right in a democracy to pose the question (to leave Canada),” framing opposition to a referendum as “being against democracy.”
Alexia Gomez, a first-time voter, said she would be against an independence referendum, warning, “If Quebec becomes independent it would make us politically, economically and militarily vulnerable.”
Carney faces unity test
Mark Carney said the two governments would work together to support businesses and workers affected by U.S. tariffs, create jobs and build housing, even as the PQ’s return to power revived the independence debate.
“‘Building a stronger Québec is core to our mission of building a stronger Canada,’ Carney said.”
Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said the PQ victory reflects Quebec’s multiparty system, where support is divided among several parties, rather than a surge in separatist sentiment.
Béland added that a separatist government in Quebec poses a new national-unity challenge for Carney, particularly with another independence-related vote approaching elsewhere in Canada.
The Reuters account said the result could make it tougher for Carney to maintain national unity against U.S. President Donald Trump, with polls indicating support for breaking with Canada at 30% near record lows.