Overview
- The Canadian Press and multiple outlets projected on Monday that the Parti Québécois will form the next Quebec government, with early returns showing the party leading in dozens of the 127 ridings and a likely minority but a possible majority in final seat counts.
- PQ leader Paul St‑Pierre Plamondon has vowed to hold a referendum on independence during his first mandate but has publicly ruled out calling a vote while President Donald Trump remains in office, effectively postponing any plebiscite until 2029 or later.
- Analysts and polls reported that the PQ’s surge was driven mainly by voter frustration over cost of living, strained public services and damage from U.S. tariffs rather than a broad revival of support for separation, with support for sovereignty near 29–30 percent.
- If the PQ forms a minority, it will need support from other parties to pass a referendum law and to govern, and the Quebec Conservatives under Éric Duhaime have won seats for the first time under his leadership that could give them balance‑of‑power leverage.
- Business leaders and immigrant communities voiced anxiety about economic and social fallout, and PQ proposals such as abolishing the lieutenant‑governor’s role have raised immediate institutional and national‑unity questions that will shape post‑election bargaining in the coming days.