Separatists may win Quebec election — The Guardian

Provincial elections are being held in the Canadian province of Quebec on October 5, where, according to polls, the separatist Parti Québécois may win. The party promises to hold a referendum on the independence of the French-speaking region from Canada by 2028, The Guardian reports.

If the forecasts come true, Parti Québécois will lead the provincial government for the first time in more than a decade, in a province with a population of about 9 million people. At the same time, polls give the party about 30% support, which may be below the level needed to form a majority government.

Promise of a referendum

Parti Québécois is led by 49-year-old lawyer Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. According to the publication, most Quebec residents do not support the province's independence, while his repeatedly voiced promise to hold a referendum during the PQ government's first term is limiting the politician's popularity.

At the beginning of the election campaign, St-Pierre Plamondon said he would not hold a referendum while Donald Trump remains in power in the United States. According to The Guardian's assessment, this allowed him to focus the campaign on immigration and identity issues.

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Immigration and relations with Ottawa

The leader of Parti Québécois accused immigrants of overcrowding schools, rising crime and rapidly increasing housing costs. He also promised to reduce immigration levels and ban teachers and students from wearing conspicuous religious symbols.

The party, the publication notes, is also benefiting from the fragmentation of votes among the right-wing nationalist electorate outside traditionally liberal Montreal, particularly in the Quebec City area. St-Pierre Plamondon suggested ending funding for the position of Quebec's lieutenant governor, the British Crown's representative in the province, and promised to propose a law severing the province's ties with the monarchy.

The politician also criticized Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney after his statement about a possible increase in immigration targets in the country. In St-Pierre Plamondon's view, this could negatively affect French-language services in Quebec.