'We will definitely be living through a third referendum,' says Parti Quebecois leader
"We will definitely be living through a third referendum" on sovereignty before the end of this decade, declared Parti Quebecois (PQ) leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon on Sunday.
The PQ leader is convinced that he'll be able to form the next government in 2026.
And this referendum could very well be the one of the last chances, he suggested, because an "existential threat" from the federal government hangs over "our people."
"In recent weeks, Ottawa has announced its intention to shamelessly encroach on Quebec's areas of jurisdiction, in housing, health, drug insurance and dental care," said the PQ leader.
"You're going to tell me: what difference does it make if housing improves?" he told a press conference at the end of his party's general council in Drummondville.
"It changes that we are falling into a system that is no longer a federation, but an increasingly unitary state, in which our political weight will be less than one-fifth of the vote, in a unitary state with a history of discrimination against francophones. What will become of us as Quebecers if we don't even have a fifth of the votes in a government that decides for us? We're finished! Canada has a bleak future in store for us," he said in his speech to party members at a two-day national council that focused on housing.
"It's a regime that only wants to crush those who refuse to assimilate."
There are "strong irreversible trends" towards the marginalization of francophones in the country and towards the centralization of powers in Ottawa, he continued, saying that an historic "window" was opening.
In his speech, he said that "our time will come," the time when Quebecers will be able to choose independence after the two previous failed referendums in 1980 and 1995.
Galvanized by the polls that repeatedly put him in first place among Quebec provincial parties, the PQ leader was cheered by around 500 parties and observers.
"We have a duty to win" to "shake off our defeatism," he insisted, this being "our ultimate chance to ensure linguistic and cultural continuity."
The PQ leader's very assertive speech provoked very strong reactions from his opponents.
"He's already certain of winning a majority in 2026," wrote Stéphane Gobeil of Premier François Legault's office on the X network. "It's either arrogance or badly controlled euphoria."
"Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is by far the most radical leader of the Parti Québécois," wrote interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay. "By pointing fingers, he is banking on fear to promote his independence option."
In his speech, St-Pierre Plamondon reached out to citizens of all political persuasions to achieve independence, as polls suggest that the party would remain more popular than the independence option, still hovering around the 50 per cent support mark.
"Sooner or later, it will be our duty to form the largest Yes coalition (for independence) that Quebec has ever known (....). Whether you are conservative, progressive, centrist, libertarian, economic right-wing or even pastafarian, it doesn't matter, given the state of the nation," he said in his speech.
He called on Quebecers to think like "builders, entrepreneurs, winners," as he put it.
"Think like Alphonse and Dorimène Desjardins, think like Bombardier, think like Maurice Richard! We have it in us; it's in our DNA," he said.
He also maintained that "the Parti Québécois (PQ) is indeed the leading political force in Quebec."
St-Pierre Plamondon admitted that nothing predicted his party would get to the position it is at when he was elected leader of the PQ in 2020, at a time when it was at its lowest point in the polls.
He said that it was because the PQ had tried to change the course of history that it had managed to climb back, notably when the elected PQ members refused to take the compulsory oath to the king after the 2022 election.
Housing
The general council focused on housing because of the current crisis.
Among the proposals adopted, the PQ pledged, if it came to power, to finance the construction of a minimum of 45,000 off-market housing units over five years, including 10,000 for students in cities with universities and CEGEPs.
However, there are no figures for this solution, including how much it will cost.
The PQ also wants to ban Airbnb-type rentals in cities where the vacancy rate is below 3 per cent, with the exception of resort areas.
St-Pierre Plamondon's party is also committed to offering financial incentives to businesses to encourage the conversion of vacant office space into housing.
In another proposal, the PQ would introduce a national catalogue of pre-approved building plans to speed up construction.
The PQ pointed out that in 2023, in nearly three-quarters of the 71 municipalities with more than 10,000 inhabitants in Quebec, the vacancy rate was 1 per cent, whereas a market is considered balanced when it is close to 3 per cent.
The PQ adopted virtually all of its proposals.
Unlike PQ councils of past years, which were torn apart by debates on resolutions and amendments, delegates now review the proposals in workshops on the first day to avoid pitfalls and rally opponents.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 14, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation is the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
Judge raises threat of jail in hush money trial as he holds Trump in contempt, fines him US$9,000
Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined US$9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. And if he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
Court upholds Milwaukee police officer's firing for posting racist memes after Sterling Brown arrest
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a former Milwaukee police officer was properly fired for posting racist memes related to the arrest of an NBA player that triggered a public outcry.
Video captures deadly wrong-way police chase on Highway 401 in Ontario
A new video has surfaced showing a vehicle being pursued by police in the wrong direction on Highway 401 moments prior to a fatal crash that killed four people, including an infant and their grandparents.
New cancer treatment approved, but not everyone thinks it's what's best for patients
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.