Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of the Parti Québécois, has announced that his party will not hold a sovereignty referendum while US President Donald Trump remains in office. This pause is intended to address voter concerns over economic uncertainty caused by the Trump administration and impending US tariffs. According to poll analyst Philippe Fournier, St-Pierre Plamondon's move may be an attempt to "defuse" the issue of another referendum, but its success is uncertain. The PQ currently holds a small lead in opinion polls, with voters expressing reluctance towards another referendum.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-19,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
The score and its own evidence disagree: every quote above points
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The confidence has been set to low for that reason.
Leaning score -0.45 for article 1260 (low confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-08-24
Will the PQ's Trump-era referendum pause work with voters?
asserted
referendum → pause → voters
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says he wanted to make intentions clear before start of election campaign
A referendum is coming — just not now.
That was the message from Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon during a round of media interviews on Tuesday.
asserted
That → say → Tuesday
Just over a week before the start of Quebec’s election campaign, St-Pierre Plamondon released a statement early in the day saying he would not hold a sovereignty referendum while U.S. President Donald Trump remains in office.
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Trump → release → office
Trump’s term ends on Jan. 20, 2029.
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term → end → Jan.
That would leave St-Pierre Plamondon over a year and a half to hold a referendum before the end of his first mandate — assuming his party wins a majority in Quebec’s Oct. 5 election.
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party → leave → election
In an interview with CBC News, St-Pierre Plamondon said he is clarifying his party's intentions ahead of the election campaign.
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he → say → campaign
The next government will be focused on "reversing problems" caused by the reigning Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ).
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government → focus → Québec
We've been saying there would be a referendum within the first four years," he said.
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he → say → years
He said the situation with the U.S. has been influencing Canadian politics, starting with Mark Carney's "elbows up" campaign — using fear to erase Justin Trudeau's tenure from voters' memories, he said.
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he → say → memories
An attempt to 'defuse the issue,' pollster says
St-Pierre Plamondon’s announcement comes amid economic anxiety surrounding impending U.S. tariffs.
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announcement → defuse → tariffs
Philippe Fournier, a poll analyst, said much remains unclear ahead of the start of the provincial campaign, with the PQ holding a small lead over the Quebec Liberal Party in opinion polls.
uncertain
PQ → say → polls
But one thing is clear: most voters don’t want another referendum, at least not now.
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voters → want → referendum
“It was the best possible strategy to try to appease voters who are concerned about the uncertainty caused by the Trump administration, the tariffs, and just the global uncertainty,” Fournier said of the PQ leader’s announcement.
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Fournier → try → announcement
“This is an attempt by Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon to defuse this issue.
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This → defuse → issue
I’m not sure it will work.
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it → ’m → ?
Opposition parties were quick to pounce on St-Pierre Plamondon’s move.
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parties → pounce → move
PQ leader slammed as 'referendum weather vane'
Éric Duhaime, leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, which is opposed to another referendum, labelled St-Pierre Plamondon a “referendum weather vane.”
“How can anyone trust someone who spent five years repeating that he would achieve independence at all costs, and then changes his mind one week before the election?
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he → slam → election
If another protectionist government takes power in Washington, what will he do?
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he → take → what
Postpone his project yet again?” Duhaime said.
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Duhaime → postpone → project
“Quebec does not have to have its political agenda dictated by the Americans.”
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agenda → have → Americans
Quebec Liberal Party Leader Charles Milliard said the postponement indicates “separating Quebec from Canada is a weak option” and that the PQ isn’t being clear about its intentions.
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PQ → say → intentions
“It’s a party that’s saying yes and no at the same time,” Milliard said.
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Milliard → ’ → time
Christine Fréchette, Quebec's current premier and the leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec, said the announcement was “irresponsible” given the looming tariffs.
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announcement → say → tariffs
The PQ has been in power multiple times since the last, near-miss referendum in 1995, but has avoided putting the question to voters for a third time.
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PQ → avoid → time
St-Pierre Plamondon, however, maintains a PQ government would hold a referendum within its first mandate.
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government → maintain → mandate
He said nobody is disappointed with the timeline now that it is more precise.
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it → say → timeline
Now his party intends to a run a campaign that is "clear and solid on every topic."
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that → intend → topic
Fournier said St-Pierre Plamondon’s plan could appeal to “soft nationalist voters who may not be keen on a referendum but want to see Fréchette replaced.”
uncertain
Fréchette → say → referendum
He added: “The question is, will it work?
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it → add → ?
I’m not sure about that.”
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I → ’m → that
