Quebec separatist leader: no independence referendum while Trump is US president
The leader of Quebec's separatist Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, said the party will not hold an independence referendum while Donald Trump remains US president, pushing any vote to 2029 at the earliest.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of Quebec's separatist Parti Québécois (PQ), announced on Tuesday that the party will not organize a referendum on independence from Canada as long as Donald Trump remains president of the United States.
Plamondon said that if the PQ takes power in Quebec's upcoming provincial election, which must be held by October 5, it would hold a referendum during its first term — but not before January 20, 2029, when Trump's current presidential term ends. The PQ is not currently in power, but polls suggest it has a strong chance of winning the next election.
Concerns over unpredictability
Plamondon stressed that a question as important as Quebec's future requires calm, clear debate that should not be disrupted by turmoil in US politics, unpredictable outbursts from the president, or fear-based campaigning. He argued that the unpredictability of the current US administration would harm both the referendum process itself and the quality of debate about Quebec's future as a nation.
Trump's tariffs and his repeated suggestions that Canada should become the 51st US state have complicated the separatist movement's position in Quebec, fueling Canadian nationalism and leading some French-speaking Quebecers to see remaining part of Canada as a guarantee of greater security.
Alberta also weighing separation
The question of provincial separation has also gained traction in Alberta, where voters will decide on October 19 whether to move forward with steps toward a binding referendum on leaving Canada.
Quebec voters have twice rejected sovereignty in referendums, most recently by a narrow margin in 1995. The province, where about 80% of residents speak French, already enjoys significant autonomy, including its own income tax, immigration policy favoring French speakers, and laws giving priority to the French language over English. The PQ was founded in the 1960s and has held power in Quebec several times, but has never held an independence referendum.
