Quebec votes as separatist surge poses test for Canada PM
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surge → vote → PM
Quebec separatists eyed a return to power in Canada’s majority French-speaking province on Oct 5 in an election that could test Prime Minister Mark Carney’s message of national unity to confront the United States.
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that → eye → States
Carney is popular in Quebec, and the possible success of the separatist Parti Quebecois (PQ) is not seen as a repudiation of his stance toward US President Donald Trump, whose trade war and annexation threats have infuriated Canadians.
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Trump → see → Canadians
Instead, the PQ’s rise after 12 years in opposition has been tied to frustration over affordability, and an enduring desire to protect the French language in an increasingly anglophone country.
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rise → tie → country
“I want Quebec to still be speaking French in 100 years,” PQ voter Francis Chalifour, a 49-year-old teacher, told AFP after voting in Montreal.
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Chalifour → want → Montreal
A PQ victory would make its leader Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon, a 49-year-old lawyer known by his initials as PSPP, the province’s next premier.
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victory → make → PSPP
He said he was feeling both “on edge and serene” after voting in Montreal.
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he → say → Montreal
Results in the province of roughly 9 million people should be known a few hours after polls close at 8pm local time (0100 GMT).
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polls → know → pm
Pre-election polls had given PQ about 30 per cent support, but in the province’s first-past-the-post electoral system that could be enough to secure a majority in the 127-member assembly, with vote-splitting expected among several federalist parties.
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splitting → give → parties
PSPP has maintained he will call a referendum on leaving Canada if elected, just not while Trump is in office.
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Trump → maintain → office
He has said a decision on Quebec’s independence “requires conditions that allow for an informed and calm debate”.
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that → say → debate
That should not be “hijacked by the theatrics of an unpredictable president,” he added, ruling out a referendum until at least 2029.
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he → hijack → 2029
First-time voter Alexia Gomez, 19, invoked the current “preoccupying” relationship between the United States and Canada when she told AFP she would be against an independence referendum.
“If Quebec becomes independent it would make us politically, economically and militarily vulnerable,” she said.
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she → invoke → referendum
Quebec has held two previous votes on leaving Canada.
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Quebec → hold → Canada
Federalists won comfortably in 1980, but the 1995 result was excruciatingly close, with just 50.58 per cent voting to stay in Canada.
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cent → win → Canada
Outgoing premier Christine Frechette made a last-ditch appeal to voters on Oct 5 asking if “they want a government that will take us into a referendum campaign where everything will be turned upside down or do they want government that will focus on bringing a stable economy”.
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that → make → economy
Polls show support collapsing in recent weeks for her Coalition Avenir Quebec party, which has been in power since 2018.
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which → show → 2018
For Carney, the Quebec vote comes amid a fraught political season.
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vote → come → season
His Liberal government enjoys broad support, and many Canadians credit him with leading national, and at times international, opposition to Trump.
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Canadians → enjoy → Trump
But in addition to the possible return of separatist governance in Quebec, voters in the oil-rich province of Alberta will hold a non-binding vote in October on whether they want independence.
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they → hold → independence
Nevertheless, before entering Parliament in Ottawa on Oct 5, Carney told reporters he will work with whatever government is elected in Quebec.
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government → enter → Quebec
‘Abolish the monarchy?’
PSPP may not have majority backing for an independent Quebec, but his plans to target the British monarchy appear far more popular.
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PSPP → abolish → monarchy
King Charles III, Canada’s head of state, is represented in Ottawa by the governor general.
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III → represent → general
Lieutenant governors represent the monarchy in the provinces, including Quebec.
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governors → represent → Quebec
In a 2025 Leger poll, 87 per cent of Quebecers said they felt no attachment to the British monarchy, and only 31 per cent expressed a favourable view of King Charles.
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cent → say → Charles
“There is nothing preventing (Quebec’s) National Assembly from acting as a sovereign Parliament and passing a law that abolishes the activities of the lieutenant governor and no longer allocates a budget to this masquerade that wastes money,” said PSPP.
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PSPP → be → money
He has proposed reallocating the lieutenant governor’s budget to combat homelessness.
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He → propose → homelessness
Pasquale Zgambatte, an 80-year-old Montreal voter, told AFP he does not support another independence referendum, but wanted British royals out of Canadian life.
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royals → tell → life
“If we’re a country, Canada, then we have nothing to do with England,” he said.
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he → ’re → England
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