The Canadian Press projected a Parti Québécois victory Monday night, ending eight years of Coalition Avenir Québec rule and returning the separatist party to power for the first time since 2014. PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is set to become Quebec's next premier, according to the projections reported by the Associated Press at 9:06 p.m. EDT.
The results point to a minority government, with the PQ falling a few seats short of the 64 needed for a majority in the National Assembly. St-Pierre Plamondon has pledged to hold another independence referendum — though not while Donald Trump is U.S. president — even as public support for sovereignty remains around 30 percent.
The PQ's return adds a volatile new chapter to Canadian politics just two weeks before Albertans vote on a separation-referendum question of their own, setting up a fall in which national unity debates could dominate both provincial and federal stages.
