PQ Leader acknowledges concerns over U.S. could impact Quebec referendum

On the heels of yet another byelection win, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says he heard a lot of concern from his voters that now is not the right time for a referendum, as some fear the economic impact of Trump administration policies north of the border.

But he is standing by his promise to hold a referendum in his first mandate, should his party come into power in the next provincial election slated for this fall.

At the Quebec National Assembly on Tuesday, St-Pierre Plamondon found himself again defending his plans to hold a vote on sovereignty, clarifying what he said in his victory speech following a byelection win in Chicoutimi Monday night.

This was the fourth consecutive byelection where the PQ swept a seat from the governing Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ).

"I met with people who are truly scared. After listening to them, I understand," St-Pierre Plamondon told the crowd Monday. "On this I want to be clear: the PQ government will always stand up for Quebecers and will never bend in the face of threats from the Americans."

St-Pierre Plamondon added any number of things could change over the course of a four-year mandate, including a new American government taking over, and he said the PQ would be strategic in choosing the right moment in those four years to launch a referendum.

Opposition parties immediately accused the sovereignist leader of backtracking on his commitment to a referendum and purposefully creating ambiguity around it, with just months to go before the provincial election is expected.

"Uncertainty is problematic for business, it’s problematic for our economy, so the fact that this position is evolving, it’s unclear, all of this uncertainty is problematic in itself,” said Quebec Liberal MNA Désirée McGraw. “These are self-inflected wounds at a time we need to stay strong and united.” 

St-Pierre Plamondon said Tuesday his position never changed and he accused the opposition of leading a campaign of fear, rather than allowing Quebecers to choose their future through a vote.

He used Alberta as an example to follow.

"We have many political parties that are lacking any compass, any captains that are very lost," he said. “Inducing fear has been a technique to avoid debating the essential debate here."

In a recent poll published by Angus Reid and surveying just over 900 people, only 15 per cent of respondents said they would "definitely vote to leave" if a referendum were held today.

An additional 11 per cent responded they would "lean toward voting to leave."

The PQ wasn't the only party taking stock of the results of the Chicoutimi byelection Tuesday.