PQ insists Quebec needs another referendum, despite lack of public support
Global News
Despite 65 per cent of Quebecers indicating they would vote 'No' in a sovereignty vote, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is pushing forward with the promise of a third referendum.
The Parti Québécois (PQ) says holding another referendum on Quebec sovereignty is essential for maintaining social peace — even as a new survey shows most Quebecers oppose the idea.
Despite 65 per cent of Quebecers indicating they would vote “No” in a sovereignty vote, PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is pushing forward with the promise of a third referendum if his party forms government in the next provincial election, now just a year away.
“The Canadian model is not only disrespectful, it’s illegitimate and a threat to social peace,” St-Pierre Plamondon said, citing recent federal funding for English-language health care in Quebec as an example.
“I have nothing against obtaining services in English when you’re English-speaking,” he added, “but I have a problem with wasting public funds that are our money with policies that are not democratic.”
The PQ is leading in voter intention polls, and St-Pierre Plamondon has been increasingly vocal about the need for Quebec to separate from Canada — 30 years after the last referendum in 1995.
He dismissed the polling numbers on sovereignty, comparing them to public dissatisfaction with the current premier: “Eighty-four percent of Quebecers don’t want François Legault, and that doesn’t prevent him from running in the next election.”
But opposition parties say talk of a referendum is out of step with voters’ priorities.
“I want to talk about jobs, I want to talk about economic growth, I want to talk about health, I want to talk about education,” said Quebec Liberal Leader Pablo Rodriguez.
“We do not consent at this point. We have too much more we have to work through,” said Keith Crow, chief of Lower Similkameen on Friday.
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