Quebec separatists fear ‘unpredictable’ Trump would ‘hijack’ independence vote

WorldPolitics
18 Aug 2026 • 11:13 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Quebec separatists fear ‘unpredictable’ Trump would ‘hijack’ independence vote

  • Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said Tuesday that any referendum on Quebec's independence from Canada will be delayed until after Donald Trump finishes his presidential term on January 20, 2029.
  • St-Pierre Plamondon stressed that the critical decision regarding Quebec's future must not be affected by outside influence. "It must not be hijacked by the upheavals of American politics, nor by the outbursts of an unpredictable president, nor by fear campaigns," St-Pierre Plamondon said.
  • Trump’s trade tariffs and repeated suggestions that Canada could become the 51st U.S. state have complicated the separatist agenda while strengthening Canadian national unity.
  • The Parti Québécois, which could win Quebec’s next election mandated by October 5, still intends to hold an independence referendum during its first term in office once Donald Trump is no longer president.
  • Quebec has previously rejected independence in two referendums, most notably in 1995, while similar secessionist sentiment has recently emerged in Alberta ahead of an October 19 vote.

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