pq's plan for a sovereignty referendum is 'disconnected' from reality, legault says
"at the same time as we face an enormous economic risk, people are worried about their wallets," premier says about pq's plan to use public funds to promote a referendum, should the party take power in 2026.
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quebec — premier françois legault has accused the parti québécois of being out of touch with reality in continuing to plan for an independence referendum, including using public funds to promote it, should it take power in 2026. “i think paul st-pierre plamondon is disconnected,” legault said as he arrived for question period at the national assembly on wednesday. “at the same time as we face an enormous economic risk, people are worried about their wallets.
“you have to be disconnected to be working on preparing a referendum on sovereignty in the fall of 2026.”
legault was speaking in reference to the threat by us president-elect donald trump to impose a 25-per-cent tariff on quebec and canadian goods if the u.s.-canada border is not secured to his liking. legault has already warned such tariffs could threaten the economy and thousands of jobs.
moments earlier, pq leader paul st-pierre plamondon was commenting on a la presse report stating the party is starting now to raise “a substantial amount” of money for a referendum campaign it would launch should it win the general election.
st-pierre plamondon has promised numerous times in the last few years that the pq will hold another independence referendum, the third in quebec’s history, within a first mandate in office .
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at a morning news conference, st-pierre plamondon did not deny the report but specified the new element in the pq’s accounting plan is that the pq’s 125 riding associations would be responsible for raising a share of funds to promote independence individually.
the actual referendum spending, however, is closely governed by quebec’s referendum law and that cannot happen before the campaign for the yes side is actually launched. that does not happen automatically on election day, he specified.
“yes, the pq will promote independence,” st-pierre plamondon said. “it’s no big news this morning that the pq’s own funds will be used and are being used to promote quebec as a country. that has nothing to do with a referendum campaign.”
he denied the party is getting ahead of itself and assuming it will win the election.
“you know us,” he said. “we plan what we need to do to reach each of our objectives. it’s normal that we plan. the reverse would be worrisome. nothing that we are planning will be a mystery to the voters.”
he repeated the current pq policy will be that public funds can be used to promote independence.
“for decades, the federal government never hesitated to use public funds, paid to them, to promote federalism,” he said. “for me it has always been a question of transparency and coherence.
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“so, yes, state resources may be used (to promote) our program, and our program includes that quebec become a country during our first mandate.”
st-pierre plamondon would not reveal the pq’s current fundraising target except to say the party, which now has more than 40,000 members, has reached 95 per cent of its objective.
later, on x social media, st-pierre plamondon responded to legault, noting legault himself was once a pq cabinet minister.
“françois legault is so desperate that he has lowered himself to the level of the most federalist premiers in our history in using fear of a referendum in an ultimate attempt to save his party and government,” st-pierre plamondon wrote.
“this morning he tried to twist the reality, one that is known to all, that all wings of the pq will promote our project for a country. given his past, i am sure he is ill at ease himself to use such a strategy. “
he added in the six years the coalition avenir québec has been in office, never has quebec been in weaker posture toward the federal government.
“quebecers will have a chance to turn the page on this sad spectacle in the coming years,” he wrote.
at a recent national party council meeting in victoriaville, st-pierre plamondon said the pq will be sensitive to the needs of the english-speaking community should it win the 2026 election.
