{"id":173960,"date":"2026-08-19T11:28:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T11:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/173960\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T11:28:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T11:28:07","slug":"pq-confirms-it-would-wait-for-trump-to-leave-office-before-holding-referendum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/173960\/","title":{"rendered":"PQ confirms it would wait for Trump to leave office before holding referendum"},"content":{"rendered":"

QUEBEC \u2014 The Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois will deliver on its promise to hold an independence referendum if elected, but not before 2029, party leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon<\/a> said Tuesday.<\/p>\n

His political opponents rapidly fired back, accusing the PQ of setting in motion years of uncertainty and instability in delaying the move, which they say will cost the Quebec economy dearly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat this does is spread this thick layer of uncertainty over four years instead of the beginning of a PQ mandate,\u201d Coalition Avenir Qu\u00e9bec Leader and Premier Christine Fr\u00e9chette said in Montreal. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe has just admitted his project is too risky for Quebec in the current geopolitical climate, but without renouncing it completely,\u201d added Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s right about one thing: It\u2019s risky.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was the latest curveball tossed by St-Pierre Plamondon into a fall election campaign that has yet to start officially.<\/p>\n

With polls showing Quebecers don\u2019t want a referendum and the PQ\u2019s lead in the polls not growing, the party leader pulled a strategic move.<\/p>\n

He reminded voters of what he said in February \u2014 that the PQ might put off a referendum given the climate created by U.S. President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

This time, St-Pierre Plamondon said his commitment to delay the referendum is definitive: Yes to a referendum, but much later in the four-year mandate he hopes to win on Oct. 5.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last few months, I have already stated that the PQ will exercise its judgment to choose the moment of the consultation,\u201d he wrote in a long statement to Quebecers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had, however, not formally expressed myself on the following point: A PQ government will not hold a referendum as long as Donald Trump is president of the United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am thus signalling, formally, that a PQ government will not hold a referendum before Jan. 20, 2029, which is the date of the end of Trump\u2019s time in the White House.<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil then, our priority remains clear: Govern Quebec with consistency and restore the confidence of Quebecers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Le Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois s\u2019engage \u00e0 ne pas tenir de r\u00e9f\u00e9rendum tant que Donald Trump sera pr\u00e9sident.<\/p>\n

Je m\u2019adresse \u00e0 vous ce matin \u00e0 titre de chef de parti qui travaille ardemment \u00e0 trouver la voie qui permettra de remettre le Qu\u00e9bec sur les rails au cours des prochaines ann\u00e9es. Comme\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/1OoUhfJzS2<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Paul St-Pierre Plamondon (@PaulPlamondon) August 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The statement was seen as an attempt by St-Pierre Plamondon to shore up nationalist support for his party, which will soon be battling it out with Fr\u00e9chette\u2019s Coalition Avenir Qu\u00e9bec in many regions of the province.<\/p>\n

It was also seen as a way to deflect some of the good press Fr\u00e9chette bagged Monday in announcing a hydro agreement with Newfoundland and Labrador<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fr\u00e9chette and other adversaries of the PQ have criticized St-Pierre Plamondon repeatedly over the last few weeks, saying now would be the \u201cworst time\u201d to hold a referendum given the economic climate.<\/p>\n

St-Pierre Plamondon addressed that head-on in his message, saying he wants to quash that debate before the election starts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have thus chosen to completely defuse the argument that says now is the worst moment to reflect on our future because of Trump, by setting aside the possibility of a referendum before the end of his second mandate,\u201d St-Pierre Plamondon said in his statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can thus run a campaign focused on our proposals to help Quebecers and relaunch our economy instead of redundant and sterile fear campaigns.\u201d<\/p>\n

He argued the independence debate is too important to allow it to get caught up in other issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy? Because an issue so crucial as the political future of Quebec requires the conditions permitting an enlightened and serene debate,\u201d St-Pierre Plamondon said. \u201cIt must not be confiscated by the upheavals of American politics or by the stunts of an unpredictable president or by fear campaigns.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis unpredictability of the American administration hampers our process as well as the quality of the debate on our future as a nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

St-Pierre Plamondon added that in any case, a PQ government would have enough on its plate cleaning up the mess the CAQ is leaving after eight years in power.<\/p>\n

He made the statement a day before new U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods were expected to kick in<\/a>. Late Tuesday, Trump announced the tariff implementation would be paused for three days.<\/p>\n

St-Pierre Plamondon has previously acknowledged that voters fear another referendum because of the geopolitical climate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI met people who are really scared,\u201d he said after the PQ won a byelection in the riding of Chicoutimi<\/a> in February. \u201cAfter having listened to them, I understand them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand that in an unstable world, our fellow citizens ask themselves questions about our capacity to assume more responsibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

St-Pierre Plamondon\u2019s statement left him open to attack Tuesday from his rivals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the PQ did the referendum at the start of its mandate, at least, we won\u2019t know where we would be standing after a year or two,\u201d Fr\u00e9chette told reporters. \u201cWhen they do it at the end, you get uncertainty during four years, and we already have too much economic uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not what Quebecers want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Milliard said it\u2019s clear St-Pierre Plamondon is trying to widen his electoral base and woo more nationalists.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the lobster trap 2.0,\u201d he said \u2014 a reference to former PQ leader Jacques Parizeau\u2019s metaphor before the 1995 referendum about the irreversible nature of a Yes vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe project to make Quebec a country cannot depend on the Trumps of this world,\u201d Qu\u00e9bec solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal told reporters.<\/p>\n

St-Pierre Plamondon\u2019s message was a shift from his initial line to Quebecers in 2024 that a referendum will come sooner than people think<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But in a conference call with reporters later Tuesday, the PQ leader denied this delay of a referendum could be followed by others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been clear for six years that we are going to consult Quebecers within the mandate,\u201d said St-Pierre Plamondon, who assumed the leadership in 2020. \u201cWe can\u2019t be clearer than say it will be after January 2029.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he had to make a formal statement because his main opponents were already milking economic fears to keep the PQ out of office.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a follow to what I have been saying for six years, except with more precision,\u201d St-Pierre Plamondon said.<\/p>\n

He said people like Milliard had hoped to campaign for 60 days by scaring voters with the prospect of the PQ\u2019s referendum, adding that is not going to work.<\/p>\n

The previous two Quebec independence referendums were held in 1980 and 1995. The federalist side won both. Support for independence has been hovering around 30 per cent for months.<\/p>\n

The Gazette\u2019s Katelyn Thomas contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

pauthier@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n

The Gazette\u2019s On Quebec Politics newsletter by Andy Riga breaks down key election issues, from polling shifts to legislative manoeuvring to ideas circulating in francophone commentary that don\u2019t make it into English-language coverage.<\/p>\n

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