Quebec’s Election
Quebec’s upcoming election, while not a snap election like BC, is equally consequential. The Parti Québécois is campaigning on Quebec sovereignty and has said it would pursue a referendum, even if it formed a minority government. The party has also said it would wait until Donald Trump is no longer president before holding one. That means the future of Canada is very much on the ballot in Quebec.
Why is it happening?
The Coalition Avenir Québec’s four-year term was nearing its constitutional limit, so an election had to be held by this fall. With the unpopular former leader François Legault having resigned, the CAQ are now led by Premier Christine Fréchette, who hopes to focus the election on US President Donald Trump and the consequences of his trade war on Quebec. The opposition, on the other hand, hopes to focus on other issues, from sovereignty and culture to health care and education.
Who is running?
The main parties and leaders are:
- Coalition avenir Québec – Christine Fréchette (premier) | Incumbent centre-right, nationalist government seeking re-election
- Quebec Liberal Party – Charles Milliard (leader) | Federalist, centrist party and official opposition after the last election (comparable to Liberal Party of Canada)
- Québec solidaire – Ruba Ghazal + Sol Zanetti (co-leaders) | Sovereigntist, left-leaning third-place party in the legislature after last election (comparable to federal NDP)
- Parti Québécois – Paul St-Pierre Plamondon (leader) | Sovereigntist, left-leaning party could jump from fourth place in the legislature to first, forming government (comparable to Bloc Québécois)
- Parti conservateur du Québec – Éric Duhaime (leader) | Populist, centre-right political party (comparable to Conservative Party of Canada)
Why it matters
The PQ is leading in most polls and has focused its campaign on Quebec sovereignty, pledging to pursue a referendum even if it only wins a minority government. Of course, support for sovereignty is down, but that could always change. For example, a new federal omnibus bill (more on that in a moment) could potentially alienate Quebec voters as a similar bill did when Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in power. In an era of mass change, nothing is set in stone. And while a referendum would still involve a separate democratic process and difficult constitutional negotiations, some argue that the act of holding a referendum – or having a separatist government in power in Quebec – could create uncertainty during a trade war and weaken Canada’s ability to negotiate with the United States and other countries. That raises the question: Does economic uncertainty make sovereignty less practical or make political control more important? Regardless, this election is not only consequential for Quebec, but for the future of Canada as well.
Where does the campaign stand?
Polling suggests a competitive race involving the PQ, Liberals and CAQ, with Québec solidaire and the Conservatives also capable of influencing the result. With five significant parties, the winner will depend not only on the popular vote but on vote efficiency: translating support into first-place finishes in enough ridings to form government. As it stands, the PQ not only leads in popular support, but its vote is highly efficient. Whereas the Quebec Liberal vote is heavily centred on the anglophone and allophone Montreal ridings, meaning their vote is highly inefficient and will make the job of forming government much harder.
Want to know more?
Better understand our system of governance in Social Studies Chapter One, ideological debates in Quebec and Canada in Social Studies Chapter Two, and the issues of cultural identity and secession in Canada at a Crossroads Chapter Three.
Activities by Subject
Social Studies
Theme: Federalism, sovereignty & Quebec’s place in Canada
Reflection Questions
- Why has Quebec’s relationship with the rest of Canada been different from that of other provinces?
- What does sovereignty mean in the Quebec context?
- What is the difference between provincial autonomy and independence?
- Why wouldn’t winning a provincial election automatically make Quebec an independent country?
- Why would a referendum require a separate democratic and constitutional process?
- Why might a minority government face different pressures when pursuing a major constitutional change?
- Why does Canada’s federal system allow Quebec to have significant control over areas such as education and culture?
- How can a country accommodate a distinct national, linguistic or cultural identity while remaining politically united?
Activity: Who Has the Power?
Here’s a series of issues:
- Healthcare
- Education
- Immigration
- Language policy
- International trade
- Natural resources
- Defence
- Criminal law
- Culture
- Foreign affairs
Classify each:
Federal | Provincial | Shared
Then ask:
Why might disagreements about Quebec’s future sometimes actually be disagreements about who should have the power to make decisions?
Science
Theme: Systems, uncertainty & interconnected consequences
Reflection Questions
- What happens when you change one part of a complex system?
- Why can political decisions have economic, environmental and technological consequences?
- How might changes to trade relationships affect energy systems?
- How could changes to transportation or electricity markets affect emissions?
- Why are predictions about complex systems difficult?
- What is the difference between a direct effect and an indirect effect?
Activity: Follow the Ripple
Start with:
Quebec holds a referendum on sovereignty.
Create a systems map showing possible connections:
Referendum → political uncertainty → investment → infrastructure → energy → transportation → emissions → environment
But you must label every arrow:
Known relationship
Possible relationship
Uncertain/speculative relationship
This teaches a really important scientific skill:
Not every plausible connection is an established fact.
Extension
Here are three scenarios:
A. No referendum occurs.
B. A referendum occurs and the status quo wins.
C. A referendum produces a clear mandate for further negotiations.
Identify which effects could be predicted with reasonable confidence and which would be highly uncertain.
Visual Storytelling/Art
Theme: Quebec identity & the visual language of place
Reflection Questions
- What makes a place feel culturally distinct?
- How can artists communicate identity without using words?
- What symbols represent Quebec?
- Which symbols represent Quebec’s relationship with Canada?
- Can an artwork communicate two identities at once?
- How can artists represent disagreement without portraying one side as the ‘bad guy’?
Activity: What Does Quebec Look Like?
Create a visual representation of Quebec identity using only images and symbols.
You might consider:
- Landscape
- Architecture
- Language
- Music
- Food
- History
- Indigenous cultures
- Urban life
- Rural life
- Winter
- Festivals
- Political symbols
- Sporting culture
Then create a second image:
Quebec within Canada.
Compare the two.
The really interesting question:
What changed when you added the rest of Canada to the picture?
English
Theme: Identity, language & political storytelling
Reflection Questions
- Why can language become connected to political identity?
- How can political parties use ideas such as culture, identity, sovereignty, unity and security differently?
- What assumptions might a reader bring to the word ‘sovereignty‘?
- Why might the same political event be described differently by different media organizations?
- How does the choice between separatist, sovereigntist, federalist and nationalist affect how a reader understands a political movement?
- How can journalists describe an emotionally charged issue without telling readers what they should think?
Activity: One Event, Three Headlines
Here’s a hypothetical event:
A sovereigntist party wins a minority government and announces that it intends to pursue a referendum.
Write three headlines:
Headline 1 — Straight news
Describe what happened without interpretation.
Headline 2 — Quebec perspective
Write a headline that emphasizes Quebec’s political autonomy and identity.
Headline 3 — Canadian perspective
Write one emphasizing the potential consequences for Canada as a whole.
Then ask:
Can all three headlines accurately describe the same event while creating very different impressions?
Careers
Theme: Political change & economic uncertainty
Reflection Questions
- Why might businesses care about political stability?
- Which industries could be particularly sensitive to changes in trade relationships?
- How could changes in immigration policy affect Quebec’s workforce?
- Which careers would be involved in negotiating constitutional change?
- What kinds of jobs would be needed during a major political or economic transition?
- Why might a government need economists, lawyers, engineers, scientists and communications professionals working together?
Activity: You Work in Quebec
Select a career:
- Nurse
- Teacher
- Software developer
- Farmer
- Engineer
- Lawyer
- Entrepreneur
- Economist
- Journalist
- Environmental scientist
- Skilled tradesperson
- International trade specialist
- Translator
- Indigenous relations specialist
Then read this scenario:
The provincial government announces that it intends to pursue a referendum on Quebec’s constitutional future.
Answer:
What information would my profession need?
What opportunities could arise?
What uncertainties could affect my work?
Which other professionals would I need to work with?
This reinforces that political decisions aren’t abstract. They can affect workplaces, industries and communities.
Cross Curricular Activity
Two Identities, One Country?
The question:
Can a province have a strong national or cultural identity while remaining part of a larger country?
Investigate the question through all five subjects.
Science: What systems connect Quebec to the rest of Canada?
Social Studies: How does federalism accommodate different identities?
English: How do language and political narratives shape identity?
Visual Storytelling/Art: How can identity be represented visually?
Careers
How could political change affect workers and businesses?
Create a one-page ‘Quebec Identity Map‘ showing the relationships among:
Language → Culture → History → Government → Economy → Environment → Canada → Identity
