Quebec votes in provincial election as separatist surge poses test for Canada’s PM Carney
Eyeing a return to power, Parti Quebecois promises to hold an independence referendum in Canada’s French-speaking region if elected
Quebec separatists eyed a return to power in Canada’s majority French-speaking province on Monday in an election that could test Prime Minister Mark Carney’s message of national unity to confront the United 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 towards US President Donald Trump, whose trade war and annexation threats have infuriated 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.
“I want Quebec to still be speaking French in 100 years,” PQ voter Francis Chalifour, a 49-year-old teacher, told Agence France-Presse after voting in Montreal.
