Latest news with #PaulStPierrePlamondon
National Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- National Post
André Pratte: PQ byelection victory heralds the return of Quebec separatism
After the past provincial election in Quebec three years ago, the Parti Québécois was nearly left for dead, with only three members in the 125-seat National Assembly and a lowly 14.6 per cent of the votes. How things have changed since! Article content Monday evening, the PQ won a third byelection in a row, by a wide margin, despite their candidate facing strong opposition from the leader of the Quebec Conservative Party. 'This reminds me of the Parti Québécois of the 1970s,' stated péquiste leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. Indeed, leading in the polls for several months now, the sovereigntist party has clearly become THE alternative to the unpopular government led by François Legault. Article content Article content Article content The byelection was held in the region of Arthabaska, situated between Montreal and Quebec City. Arthabaska-L'Érable is a semi-rural conservative riding, comprising the city of Victoriaville (population: 48,000). Article content Article content Éric Duhaime, leader of the provincial Conservative Party, was hoping to win so that his small party would finally be represented in the National Assembly. Most commentators predicted a close race between Duhaime and the PQ candidate, journalist Alex Boissonneault. In fact, Boissonneault won easily with over 46 per cent of the vote, compared with 35 per cent for Duhaime. It is the first time since 1998, 27 years ago, that the riding has elected a Parti Québécois candidate. Article content Campaigning from door to door, Duhaime and the other candidates tried to tap in some voters' fear of a third referendum on separation, as promised by Plamondon if the PQ forms the next government. In vain. To the contrary, there appears to be a surge of enthusiasm for independence, at least amongst young Quebecers. Article content Article content This summer, surveys by two different polling firms put the support for separation at close to 50 per cent among voters aged 18 to 34 years old, a leap of some 15 percentage points compared with earlier polls. It is not clear what caused this sudden rise, but if it reflects reality, this will infuse the separatist movement with a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm. For a time seen as an outdated project, Quebec's independence appears to be making a comeback, perceived by an increasing number of young people as an idea of the future, a solution to the province's many problems (and theirs). Some even think that an independent Quebec would be in a better position to negotiate with Donald Trump, as baffling as that may sound. Article content Article content The other major provincial parties did not fare well in the Arthabaska-L'Érable byelection, and their poor performance is a clear signal that they need to redress the boat quickly if they want to be competitive in the next general elections, scheduled for October 2026. The ruling Coalition Avenir Québec, which had previously won the riding with 52 per cent of the vote, saw its share of support crash down to seven per cent. This catastrophic score, combined with very poor polling results, brought Premier Legault to acknowledge Monday evening that Quebecers are not satisfied with his government. Legault, who appears set to continue to lead his party notwithstanding, will announce a major shuffle of his cabinet next month in the hopes that this may begin to turn things around. It is true that the outcome of the past federal election shows that nothing is impossible in politics; however, the premier cannot ignore the fact that that outcome was only made possible by a change at the helm of the Liberal Party of Canada.
CTV News
6 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
PQ leader welcomes Maxime Bernier's support for a third referendum
PQ candidate Alex Boissonneault, right, and Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of the Parti Québécois, speak to media at an election party during a by-election in Quebec's Arthabaska riding, in Victoriaville, Que., on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press) Paul St-Pierre Plamondon finds it 'quite interesting' that People's Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier has said he would support a possible referendum on Quebec sovereignty. He even praised the right-wing politician's 'consistency' and reiterated that 'it will take everyone' to achieve independence. 'We're going to take all our allies, even those who are quite far from my convictions (...) Just because I don't have the same ideas as Maxime Bernier doesn't mean we're going to start pointing fingers at each other; on the contrary,' said the PQ leader in a news scrum on Monday after his candidate Alex Boissonneault won the by-election in Arthabaska. In an email sent to PPC members on Sunday evening, Bernier indicated that he intends to support the YES camp in a possible referendum on Quebec sovereignty or in Alberta to 'break the stranglehold of imperial federalism and pave the way for a final attempt to rebalance our federation.' 'We'll tell him it makes sense,' said St-Pierre Plamondon. 'He really wants, in a libertarian approach that is not at all mine, that there be no more government, or as little as possible. And he says: if I am consistent with myself, then I will get rid of the level where there is the most waste. It's a consistency that we don't see in some other conservatives and that has merit.' 'Education' on independence On Monday, St-Pierre Plamondon admitted that voters in Arthabaska did not seem to be the most interested in the issue of independence. 'I won't hide from you that this byelection was more about choosing a member of parliament and the quality of representation,' he said. Despite everything, the PQ leader is maintaining his commitment to hold a third referendum on Quebec sovereignty during his first term. Freshly elected, new PQ member Boissonneault affirmed the importance of educating people about independence. 'Our party has always been committed to holding a consultation by 2030, and that hasn't changed. The question is how we are going to talk about it and how we are going to address these issues,' he said Monday evening after his victory. 'Breaking up the country' Bernier's party says, however, that it does not share 'the ultimate goal of the separatist movements in Quebec and Alberta to break up the country,' but that 'their demands are legitimate." 'Given the constant trend toward greater centralization, the only way to bring about meaningful change under the current government may be to take advantage of the constitutional crisis that would follow a majority vote in favor of secession in a provincial referendum,' the CPC website states. Bernier, who voted YES in the 1995 referendum, slammed the door on the Conservative Party of Canada after losing the leadership race to Andrew Scheer. Maxime Bernier People's Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier, centre, handshakes with a man as protesters against COVID-19 restrictions march through the streets of Montreal on Saturday, February 12, 2022. (Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press) In 2018, he founded the PPC, a political party on the federal scene that is further to the right than his former party. Since then, Bernier has never been re-elected. In the last federal election, his party won only 0.7 per cent of the vote. The CPC proposes to impose 'a moratorium on new permanent residents for as many years as necessary, until the housing crisis has been resolved, the negative economic impact of mass immigration has been neutralized, and the process of social and cultural disintegration due to mass immigration has been reversed.' He also wants to repeal the Multiculturalism Act and 'focus on integrating immigrants into Canadian society.' On the environment, Bernier wants to withdraw Canada from the Paris Agreement and abolish 'the taxes, regulations, subsidies, and programs adopted by the Liberal government to combat so-called climate change.' He also wants to create a ministry dedicated to reducing the size of government 'that will systematically review all programs with the goal of abolishing ideologically driven programs that promote wokeness, programs whose primary purpose is to buy votes, obsolete and ineffective programs that no longer serve a clear purpose, etc.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 12, 2025.
CTV News
08-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Tom Mulcair: The Quebec Liberal leadership contender who could put a stop to a surging separatist tide
For those of us who've been through the wringer of very divisive referendums, the threat of separatism is devoid of charm. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, an able politician whose success is founded on an understated populism, has decided to put her own threat under wraps for the time being and that's a very good thing for Canada. Meanwhile, you guessed it, a resurgent Parti Quebecois has been sabre rattling again and the separatist threat is alive and well in La Belle Province. The PQ's current leader, Paul St. Pierre-Plamondon (PSPP for short), is a studious talkaholic who has managed to reignite his party's standing in the polls, if not support for separatism itself. At least not yet. PSPP is surfing easily on a very large wave of discontent with the hopelessly incompetent CAQ government of Francois Legault, as it stumbles to the end of its second mandate. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon sums up the spring session as it comes to an end, at the legislature in Quebec City, Friday, June 6, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot) PSPP is already starting to soft-pedal his supposedly rock hard promise to hold the province's third referendum on sovereignty if the PQ gets reelected. He now talks of a 'consultation,' not of a referendum. To the untrained eye, that's splitting political hairs, but there's a sucker born every minute and no one who knows the place is taking the threat lightly. Legault got just over 40 per cent of the vote in the last election. A perfect split of the remaining 60 per cent among four opposition parties gave his CAQ a massive majority. The Quebec Liberals had their worst showing ever but thanks to a strong concentration of Liberal votes amongst Montreal's Anglo and cultural communities, still managed to eke out official opposition status. The Quebec Liberals haven't had a permanent leader since former head Dominique Anglade stepped down right after the 2022 election debacle. That is about to change as Quebec Liberals will begin voting on Monday for their new leader, who will be announced at a convention in Quebec City on June 14. When former federal minister Pablo Rodriguez indicated he'd be running, the Trudeau government was some 25 per cent behind the Conservatives in the polls. Pablo Rodriguez, Karl Blackburn Quebec Liberal Leadership candidate Pablo Rodriguez speaks as candidate Karl Blackburn, right, looks on during a debate in Quebec City Thursday, May 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot That, of course, changed very rapidly after the arrival of Mark Carney, but Rodriguez was not in a position to have the second thoughts of a Sean Fraser or Anita Anand who both reversed their announced decisions to quit politics. Rodriguez had left what had been a sinking ship and his lifeboat was going to be the Quebec Liberals. He couldn't swim back. Rodriguez was himself a Montreal MP and he garnered early strong support from the Quebec Liberal caucus, which was concentrated in the Montreal area. That support and some general general polling results, led many to believe that Rodriguez would win in a romp. The problem for Rodriguez was that the polling in question was general and didn't zero in on party members. Another challenge was that under the leadership rules, each one of the 125 ridings was attributed the same number of points, irrespective of the number of members. Of the 3,000 points per riding, 1,000 were reserved for members under 25. Navigating those rules required hard work across the province and across age groups. The majority of Quebec ridings are located outside of the Montreal area. In fact, Legault only has two seats in Montreal and yet has totally dominated the rest of Quebec in winning his two majorities. Karl Blackburn It took forever for the team supporting Rodriguez to understand that math and it may now be too late as a tireless campaign across Quebec regions by former Member of the National Assembly, Karl Blackburn, is showing exceptional strength. Recent deep polling of a large sample of party members by Mainstreet shows Blackburn beating Rodriguez in the second, run-off ballot. Karl Blackburn Quebec Liberal Leadership candidate Karl Blackburn speaks during a debate in Quebec City Thursday, May 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot Only one other candidate, pharmacist and former Chamber of Commerce head Charles Milliard is considered to be a real, if unlikely, contender. Don't let the family name fool you, Blackburn is a dyed in the wool francophone Quebecer from the resource rich Saguenay-Lac-St. Jean region. I first met him when he won an implausible victory in Roberval as the Charest government rolled into power some 20 years ago. I was the environment minister and I got to see how Blackburn worked on what could easily have become a contentious file concerning competing uses for one of that area's majestic rivers. Blackburn always knew his files better than anyone and has an innate knack for keeping everyone on side. He doesn't divide, he always adds. He has held the highest offices in the Quebec Liberal party and went on to a career at the top level in the forestry industry before becoming president and CEO of the Conseil du Patronat (Quebec's larget employers' group). Blackburn also has a unique openness for the ethnocultural reality of Montreal. I reconnected with him last year when we met during an important event for the large Maghrebine community. No longer in politics, Blackburn was not obliged to spend his Saturday evening attending an event of this type. He stayed throughout because of his strong interest in understanding the rich fabric of Montreal's diversity. Blackburn was late into the race. A bout with prostate cancer sidelined him from the first months. Many in the party thought it was too late for him to throw his hat into the ring. When he decided to run, he collected the necessary signatures in the required number of ridings in record time. He prevailed in his fight against the disease and and has campaigned across the province relentlessly, with special emphasis on the regions outside of the big cities and it's worked. One of the jobs that Blackburn held at the Liberal Party was that of chief organizer, and it shows. He has brought back, and brought together, an A-Team of seasoned political pros that the Quebec Liberals haven't seen in years. Keep an eye on Blackburn. He represents the very best of the party of Robert Bourassa, able to build bridges where the separatists are promising to blow them up. A man for his era, if he does win the leadership, he could well lead the Quebec Liberals to victory in next year's general election.
CTV News
08-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Tom Mulcair: The Quebec Liberal leadership contender who could put a stop to a surging separatist tide
For those of us who've been through the wringer of very divisive referendums, the threat of separatism is devoid of charm. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, an able politician whose success is founded on an understated populism, has decided to put her own threat under wraps for the time being and that's a very good thing for Canada. Meanwhile, you guessed it, a resurgent Parti Quebecois has been sabre rattling again and the separatist threat is alive and well in La Belle Province. The PQ's current leader, Paul St. Pierre-Plamondon (PSPP for short), is a studious talkaholic who has managed to reignite his party's standing in the polls, if not support for separatism itself. At least not yet. PSPP is surfing easily on a very large wave of discontent with the hopelessly incompetent CAQ government of Francois Legault, as it stumbles to the end of its second mandate. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon sums up the spring session as it comes to an end, at the legislature in Quebec City, Friday, June 6, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot) PSPP is already starting to soft-pedal his supposedly rock hard promise to hold the province's third referendum on sovereignty if the PQ gets reelected. He now talks of a 'consultation,' not of a referendum. To the untrained eye, that's splitting political hairs, but there's a sucker born every minute and no one who knows the place is taking the threat lightly. Legault got just over 40 per cent of the vote in the last election. A perfect split of the remaining 60 per cent among four opposition parties gave his CAQ a massive majority. The Quebec Liberals had their worst showing ever but thanks to a strong concentration of Liberal votes amongst Montreal's Anglo and cultural communities, still managed to eke out official opposition status. The Quebec Liberals haven't had a permanent leader since former head Dominique Anglade stepped down right after the 2022 election debacle. That is about to change as Quebec Liberals will begin voting on Monday for their new leader, who will be announced at a convention in Quebec City on June 14. When former federal minister Pablo Rodriguez indicated he'd be running, the Trudeau government was some 25 per cent behind the Conservatives in the polls. Pablo Rodriguez, Karl Blackburn Quebec Liberal Leadership candidate Pablo Rodriguez speaks as candidate Karl Blackburn, right, looks on during a debate in Quebec City Thursday, May 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot That, of course, changed very rapidly after the arrival of Mark Carney, but Rodriguez was not in a position to have the second thoughts of a Sean Fraser or Anita Anand who both reversed their announced decisions to quit politics. Rodriguez had left what had been a sinking ship and his lifeboat was going to be the Quebec Liberals. He couldn't swim back. Rodriguez was himself a Montreal MP and he garnered early strong support from the Quebec Liberal caucus, which was concentrated in the Montreal area. That support and some general general polling results, led many to believe that Rodriguez would win in a romp. The problem for Rodriguez was that the polling in question was general and didn't zero in on party members. Another challenge was that under the leadership rules, each one of the 125 ridings was attributed the same number of points, irrespective of the number of members. Of the 3,000 points per riding, 1,000 were reserved for members under 25. Navigating those rules required hard work across the province and across age groups. The majority of Quebec ridings are located outside of the Montreal area. In fact, Legault only has two seats in Montreal and yet has totally dominated the rest of Quebec in winning his two majorities. Karl Blackburn It took forever for the team supporting Rodriguez to understand that math and it may now be too late as a tireless campaign across Quebec regions by former Member of the National Assembly, Karl Blackburn, is showing exceptional strength. Recent deep polling of a large sample of party members by Mainstreet shows Blackburn beating Rodriguez in the second, run-off ballot. Karl Blackburn Quebec Liberal Leadership candidate Karl Blackburn speaks during a debate in Quebec City Thursday, May 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot Only one other candidate, pharmacist and former Chamber of Commerce head Charles Milliard is considered to be a real, if unlikely, contender. Don't let the family name fool you, Blackburn is a dyed in the wool francophone Quebecer from the resource rich Saguenay-Lac-St. Jean region. I first met him when he won an implausible victory in Roberval as the Charest government rolled into power some 20 years ago. I was the environment minister and I got to see how Blackburn worked on what could easily have become a contentious file concerning competing uses for one of that area's majestic rivers. Blackburn always knew his files better than anyone and has an innate knack for keeping everyone on side. He doesn't divide, he always adds. He has held the highest offices in the Quebec Liberal party and went on to a career at the top level in the forestry industry before becoming president and CEO of the Conseil du Patronat (Quebec's larget employers' group). Blackburn also has a unique openness for the ethnocultural reality of Montreal. I reconnected with him last year when we met during an important event for the large Maghrebine community. No longer in politics, Blackburn was not obliged to spend his Saturday evening attending an event of this type. He stayed throughout because of his strong interest in understanding the rich fabric of Montreal's diversity. Blackburn was late into the race. A bout with prostate cancer sidelined him from the first months. Many in the party thought it was too late for him to throw his hat into the ring. When he decided to run, he collected the necessary signatures in the required number of ridings in record time. He prevailed in his fight against the disease and and has campaigned across the province relentlessly, with special emphasis on the regions outside of the big cities and it's worked. One of the jobs that Blackburn held at the Liberal Party was that of chief organizer, and it shows. He has brought back, and brought together, an A-Team of seasoned political pros that the Quebec Liberals haven't seen in years. Keep an eye on Blackburn. He represents the very best of the party of Robert Bourassa, able to build bridges where the separatists are promising to blow them up. A man for his era, if he does win the leadership, he could well lead the Quebec Liberals to victory in next year's general election.
CTV News
02-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
The Québec solidaire candidate in Terrebonne switches to the Parti Québécois
Archives - Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon celebrates with candidate Catherine Gentilcore, second from left, after she won the by-election in Terrebonne on Monday, March 17, 2025. (The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi) The candidate who represented Québec solidaire (QS) in the Terrebonne by-election, Nadia Poirier, is leaving the party to join the Parti Québécois (PQ). Poirier made the announcement on social media on Sunday, just over two months after the by-election, which PQ candidate Catherine Gentilcore easily won. A few days after the by-election, in which she finished fourth with 4.55 per cent of the vote, Poirier publicly lamented the lack of support from QS during the campaign. On Reddit, Poirier pointed out, among other things, that no QS MNAs had come to Terrebonne with her to campaign, except co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal for a 'solidarity beer.' On Sunday, Poirier revealed that this was 'only the tip of the iceberg of what [she] criticizes the party for.' 'But since I prefer to wash my dirty laundry in private, I shared the rest of my grievances with them privately. The result remains the same: I am leaving Québec Solidaire,' she announced. Poirier justified her move to the PQ by saying that she had read the party's national platform and found 'particularly progressive elements, ideas that overlap with those of QS, refreshing proposals.' 'When you put aside the QS-PQ rivalry, you realize that we are not so far apart,' she wrote. Poirier stated that she will continue to campaign for independence. She also said she hopes for a 'sovereignist convergence' with a view to a third referendum. Poirier also ran for QS in Terrebonne in the 2022 general election. She finished third, behind the Coalition Avenir Québec and the PQ. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French June 2, 2025.
