The leader of Quebec’s secessionist party says debate over the province’s independence is being hampered by the turmoil in U.S. politics.
Published August 19, 2026
The leader of Quebec’s main secessionist party has vowed not to hold an independence referendum until US President Donald Trump leaves office.
Parti Québécois (PQ) Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said on Tuesday that discussions on the issue could proceed calmly only after President Trump is no longer president.
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“We must not be hijacked by the upheaval in American politics, by the president’s unpredictable violence, by the campaign of fear,” St-Pierre Plamondon said. “This unpredictability of the American administration will have a negative impact on our process as well as the quality of the debate about our future as a nation.”
Quebec’s next provincial election must be held by Oct. 5, and the Parti Québécois hopes to win at the polls.
Opinion polls currently show him leading the Quebec Liberal Party and the Coalition Avenir Québec, which holds the largest number of seats in the Quebec National Assembly.
Saint-Pierre Plamondon has vowed to call for an independence referendum if his party wins this year.
But such a vote would likely wait until the second half of President Trump’s four-year term, which ends in January 2029, he said.
Since returning to office in 2025, President Trump’s hostility towards Canada has redefined cross-border relations.
President Trump has repeatedly expressed controversial views about making Canada the 51st U.S. state, and has used tariffs on Canadian goods as leverage to advance his policy demands.
Negotiations continued Tuesday as Canadian officials seek to fend off President Trump’s latest tariff threat, which would impose a 50% import tax on a variety of goods starting midnight Wednesday.
Growing friction between the United States and Canada has put separatist movements in provinces such as Alberta and Quebec in a difficult position.
President Trump’s actions have sparked a rise in Canadian nationalism, with Canadians expressing anger at U.S. policies.
There is also speculation that the United States may encourage separatist efforts in provinces such as Alberta, where right-wing leaders like Prime Minister Daniel Smith have significant influence.
Quebecers have long sought greater sovereignty, but experts say the economic benefits of remaining in union with Canada could become more attractive given the disruption caused by the United States.
“It would have been especially risky to trigger[an independence referendum]while President Trump was still in the White House,” Daniel Belland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, told The Associated Press.
“Support for independence in Quebec remains at around 30 per cent, and the fact that the PQ is leading in the polls is not a sign that support for independence is increasing,” he added.
