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Montreal Gazette
4 days ago
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Libman: Referendum pledge puts PQ leader in a bind
Last week's Léger poll on provincial sovereignty in Canada contained an eye-popping revelation: Among all provinces, Quebec had the greatest proportion of respondents 'opposed' to separation, at 59 per cent. Support for sovereignty was tagged at 33 per cent, near where it's been hovering for years. It's lower than support in Manitoba/Saskatchewan and well behind the 41 per cent in Alberta. Ontario was at 31 per cent. Having the highest number against sovereignty was explained by the fact that most Quebecers are already decided on the question, while in other provinces there were more who didn't answer. With a Quebec election next year, this is a warning light on Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon's dashboard, putting him in a tight spot. After the separatist party suffered its worst defeat in its history, reduced to just three seats, PSPP had to consolidate the PQ base — and he defiantly committed to holding a sovereignty referendum in his first term if elected. Despite being numerically marginalized in the National Assembly, the PQ MNAs were able to generate catchy headlines, like refusing to swear allegiance to the King in the oath of office, which was subsequently changed. As voters grew weary of François Legault and his Coalition Avenir Québec government, combined with a weakened and leaderless Liberal party, the PQ suddenly found itself leading in polls as the default option where Quebecers were parking their vote, and has led ever since. The commitment to a sovereignty referendum, however, could become the PQ's biggest hurdle in transforming its current lead into a victory in next year's election. We're entering an unpredictable political maze now in Quebec, with polls containing many ifs, ands or buts: The CAQ is seemingly in free fall. Will Legault be pushed to resign, with the hope for a momentous turnaround like the federal Liberals? The Quebec Liberal Party support among francophone voters is only 10 per cent. Will its new leader — to be chosen in two weeks — be able to change that? The PQ leads the polls with 33 per cent support, but 30 per cent of its own voters are against separation — and only 24 per cent of Quebecers think PSPP would make the best premier. PSPP has had a fairly easy ride so far in opposition, left free to launch his attacks. But as federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has learned, that's different from positioning yourself as leader of a government. And the leadership question will only draw more attention as the election comes into sharper focus. Just last week PSPP was on the defensive for taking the populist position that Quebec should lower its carbon pricing — then was pressured to answer to environmental concerns and where he would account for the $1.5-billion shortfall in government revenues. PSPP generated more headlines this week with a motion calling to cut ties with the monarchy, criticizing what many saw as an archaic spectacle in Ottawa and ridiculing the notion that having King Charles read the throne speech would impress U.S. President Donald Trump as an expression of Canadian sovereignty. Many, particularly Quebecers, believe that clinging to the monarchy is a wasteful expense in this day and age. But calling the monarchy hostile toward Quebec and francophones, which PSPP also levelled at Mark Carney, comes across as foolish rhetorical excess. In the recent federal election, a majority of Quebec voters saw Carney as the adult in the room. They want stability and poise during these uncertain times with Trump in the White House. The turbulent prospect of another Quebec sovereignty referendum would bring the opposite. Once chosen, the next Quebec Liberal leader should immediately start hounding PSPP on if and when he would call a referendum, which most Quebecers decidedly don't want. Will he back down, or will the PQ's raison d'être again become its biggest obstacle to power?
Calgary Herald
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Chris Selley: Central Canadians are practically goading Alberta to consider separation
Article content Of all the problems Canada faces in 2025, the prospect of Alberta sovereigntists winning a referendum and plunging the country into constitutional hell does not appear to be one of them. A Postmedia-Leger poll released last week, found just 29 per cent of Albertans supported the province 'becoming a country independent of Canada,' which is what the straightforward referendum question recently proposed by the separatist Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) would ask. That's even fewer than the 36 per cent of Quebecers who would vote Yes in their own sovereignty referendum, according to a Leger poll released before last month's federal election. Article content Article content But good grief, Central Canada could hardly be doing more to try to pump the APP's tires. Ironically, that includes some Quebec separatists. Article content Article content Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has offered support, in principle: 'I totally agree with provinces that stand up, that are loyal to their own parliament, that are capable of showing a strong hand,' he said earlier this month. This seems like the only logical strategic position for Quebec sovereigntists to take if — like the PQ, which is in pole position to win the next provincial election — they're actually planning on holding and winning a referendum and commencing divorce proceedings with Ottawa, the other provinces and First Nations. Article content Others in the Quebec sovereignty movement, however, haven't been able to resist broadcasting their contempt for Alberta. Legalities aside, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet averred earlier this month, a proper sovereignty-seeking entity 'has to have a culture of their own.' Article content Article content 'I am not certain that oil and gas qualifies to define a culture,' he added disdainfully. Article content Article content 'In Quebec, we have a nation, a language, a culture, a distinct history,' Marie-Anne Alepin, president of the arch-nationalist Société St-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal, told The Canadian Press earlier this month. 'They want an oil-based future. We have no common goals. We're not alike.' Article content But in this respect, we're almost seeing a national-unity moment among Central Canadian elites — sovereigntist and federalist, Upper and Lower Canadian alike — with respect to Alberta.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chris Selley: Central Canadians are practically goading Alberta to consider separation
Of all the problems Canada faces in 2025, the prospect of Alberta sovereigntists winning a referendum and plunging the country into constitutional hell does not appear to be one of them. A Postmedia-Leger poll released last week, found just 29 per cent of Albertans supported the province 'becoming a country independent of Canada,' which is what the straightforward referendum question recently proposed by the separatist Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) would ask. That's even fewer than the 36 per cent of Quebecers who would vote Yes in their own sovereignty referendum, according to a Leger poll released before last month's federal election. But good grief, Central Canada could hardly be doing more to try to pump the APP's tires. Ironically, that includes some Quebec separatists. Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has offered support, in principle: 'I totally agree with provinces that stand up, that are loyal to their own parliament, that are capable of showing a strong hand,' he said earlier this month. This seems like the only logical strategic position for Quebec sovereigntists to take if — like the PQ, which is in pole position to win the next provincial election — they're actually planning on holding and winning a referendum and commencing divorce proceedings with Ottawa, the other provinces and First Nations. Others in the Quebec sovereignty movement, however, haven't been able to resist broadcasting their contempt for Alberta. Legalities aside, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet averred earlier this month, a proper sovereignty-seeking entity 'has to have a culture of their own.' 'I am not certain that oil and gas qualifies to define a culture,' he added disdainfully. 'In Quebec, we have a nation, a language, a culture, a distinct history,' Marie-Anne Alepin, president of the arch-nationalist Société St-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal, told The Canadian Press earlier this month. 'They want an oil-based future. We have no common goals. We're not alike.' Alepin and Blanchet appear to be offside Quebec popular opinion on the oil-and-gas question: 61 per cent of Quebec respondents to a SOM poll for La Presse, conducted in February, said they supported resuscitating a liquified natural gas project in the province, and 59 per cent said they supported resuscitating the Energy East pipeline, which would have sent oil from Western Canada through Quebec to Irving's Canaport facility in Saint John, N.B. But in this respect, we're almost seeing a national-unity moment among Central Canadian elites — sovereigntist and federalist, Upper and Lower Canadian alike — with respect to Alberta. 'Perhaps it's time Alberta does go it alone and says goodbye to Canada,' a recent Toronto Star headline proposed. 'The province stands alone in its incurable sense of grievance with the rest of the federation,' columnist David Olive wrote — which is an altogether astonishing thing to say about a country that includes Quebec. 'Absent Alberta, Canada could confront Trumpism as a more united front,' Olive argued. 'And Canadian taxpayers would no longer have to subsidize Alberta's oilpatch, its increased housing supply, and its university research projects.' In February, the Star declined to run an idiotic editorial cartoon by Theo Moudakis that proposed Canada swap Alberta for California. But Moudakis posted it on X anyway, with 'Toronto Star' included in his signature. This mirrored Justin Trudeau's idiotic claimed remark to President Donald Trump that Canada might negotiate 'a trade for Vermont or California.' Joke or not, Trudeau didn't need to say what he was thinking of 'trading.' (California is very much in the oil-and-gas industry, incidentally. And Vermont has some of the looser gun laws in the United States. But facts have little purchase when anglophone Central Canadian nationalism — which is to say anti-Americanism — kicks in.) 'I can assure you. No Canadian passport, no citizenship, no pension, and no future if you want to leave Canada,' Senator Kristopher Wells wrote Monday in an extraordinary missive on social media. It has been a common topic of dumb online conversation: Could Albertans keep their Canadian citizenship, as the separatist camp promises? The answer is, of course they could. We allow dual citizenship. We don't revoke citizenship when people move away from Canada, even if it's forever. We grant citizenship to people who have never set foot on Canadian soil, and to anyone who's born on it — even if their parents are just here for a couple of weeks for that exact purpose. Dumb online conversation usually doesn't matter. But Wells is a Trudeau-appointed senator … for Alberta. Not only does Central Canada hate us, the separatists can argue, but the people Central Canada appoints to represent us hate us. These are precisely the sort of comments Quebec separatists try to leverage to convince Quebecers that the Rest of Canada hates them — except, of course, Central Canadian elites would never say such things about Quebecers. It hasn't worked for Quebec separatists. It doesn't seem to be working for Alberta separatists. But all this sneering could do an awful lot of damage to national unity along the way. National Post cselley@ Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here. Everything you need to know about the threat of Alberta separatism 'This is about the economy': What motivates Alberta separatists
Edmonton Journal
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
More than 80% of Quebecers say they're part of the Canadian nation: poll
Article content A new poll reveals that more than 80 per cent of Quebec residents say that they're part of the Canadian nation. The findings showed that despite the rhetoric by political leaders in the province that push for separatism, the majority of residents may not feel that way, according to the poll. Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet called Canada an 'artificial country with very little meaning,' in April, ahead of the federal election. This week, Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon showed support for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who dangled the possibility of a referendum before the federal government to leverage demands. St-Pierre Plamondon called the move a 'striking gesture' for the 'autonomy and defence of her own province.'
Vancouver Sun
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
More than 80% of Quebecers say they're part of the Canadian nation: poll
A new poll reveals that more than 80 per cent of Quebec residents say that they're part of the Canadian nation. The findings showed that despite the rhetoric by political leaders in the province that push for separatism, the majority of residents may not feel that way, according to the poll. Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet called Canada an 'artificial country with very little meaning,' in April, ahead of the federal election. This week, Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon showed support for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith , who dangled the possibility of a referendum before the federal government to leverage demands. St-Pierre Plamondon called the move a 'striking gesture' for the 'autonomy and defence of her own province.' The Association for Canadian Studies poll was conducted by Leger on May 1 to May 3. Leger asked Quebec residents, who believe that to be a nation means that members share a common culture, language and history, if they are part of the Canadian nation. Around 82 per cent agreed that they are. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Other Canadians, who also held the same definition of what it means to be a nation, were asked whether they agreed that Quebecers are part of the Canadian nation. Nearly the same amount, 83 per cent, agreed. Meanwhile, the poll found that roughly 72 per cent of Bloc Québécois voters said Quebecers are part of the Canadian nation. This is compared to the 90 per cent of Liberal voters in Quebec who agreed, 78 per cent of Conservative voters, and 83 per cent of NDP voters. 'I was surprised at the extent to which a clear majority of Bloc Québécois voters agreed that the Quebecers were part of the Canadian nation,' said president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies and Metropolis Institute Jack Jedwab in an emailed statement to National Post. 'It speaks to the degree to which Quebecers and other Canadians don't make the distinctions politicians and academics insist (on making) between nations and countries.' He continued: 'Too often some politicians and academics appear to be blurring the distinction between nation and country to support a political objective.' The federal election seemed to spark the question of separatism in other provinces as well. Albertans have rallied recently to show their support for separatism, and in another Leger poll, more than half of Canadians said that Alberta separation should be taken seriously . In mid-April, a survey showed that residents of Saskatchewan wanted to leave Canada the most, compared to other provinces, if Liberals won the election. However, the findings from the new Leger poll suggest that Quebecers may now be more willing to turn away from separatism. This could be due to increased tensions between the U.S. and Canada since President Donald Trump took office. There has been a push among Canadians to buy local goods and to travel within in the country . One Quebec resident and longtime Bloc Québécois supporter, Lucie Nucciaroni, told CBC News ahead of the federal election that although she was a a Quebec sovereigntist, 'preserving Canada's sovereignty is even more important.' 'We can't live like Americans. Quebec needs Canada and Canada needs Quebec,' she said. The responses to the poll came from 1,626 respondents in Canada. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes. A probability sample of 1626 respondents would have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
