The Parti Québécois (PQ) says it is holding another referendum on Quebec sovereignty is essential to maintaining social peace – even as a new study shows the majority of Quebecers oppose the idea.
Despite 65 per cent of Quebecers saying they would vote “no” in the sovereignty vote, PC leader Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon is pressing ahead with a promise to hold a third referendum if his party forms a government in the next provincial election, which is just a year away.
“The Canadian model is not only disrespectful, it is illegitimate and a threat to social peace,” said Saint-Pierre Plamondon, citing recent federal funding for English-speaking health care in Quebec as an example.
“I have nothing against receiving services in English when you speak English,” he added, “but I have a problem with wasting public funds, our money, on policies that are not democratic.”
The PQ is leading in polls on voting intentions, and Saint-Pierre Plamondon has increasingly spoken out about the need for Quebec to separate from Canada, 30 years after the last referendum in 1995.
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He dismissed polling data on sovereignty, comparing it to public discontent with the current prime minister: “Eighty-four per cent of Quebecers don't want François Legault, and that doesn't stop him from running in the next election.”
However, opposition parties say talk of a referendum does not align with voters' priorities.
“I want to talk about jobs, I want to talk about economic growth, I want to talk about health care, I want to talk about education,” said Quebec Liberal Leader Pablo Rodriguez.
“I think the referendum poses a great threat to social peace. The referendum brings great instability.”
Rodriguez, a former federal cabinet minister, also made headlines by suggesting Quebec could end up signing the 1982 Constitution Act – something no other Quebec Liberal leader has previously supported.
“The Constitution will be signed when we reach agreement on Quebec's terms,” he said.
Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette of the current Coalition Avenir Québec government criticized Rodriguez's position, calling it a departure from the legacy of past Liberal premiers.
“He does not respect the heritage and heritage of Robert Bourassa, Jean Charest and Philippe Couillard, who refused to sign this Constitution,” Jolin-Barrette said.
He also criticized Rodriguez's federal background: “Pablo Rodriguez still thinks he's in Ottawa and he's the leader of the Canadian Liberal Party. He's now in Quebec. He's the leader of the Quebec Liberal Party.”
With the PC dominating the polls, the debate over Quebec's place in the federation looks set to once again enter the center of provincial political discourse.
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