Poll shows PQ's early referendum promise cost it a majority in Quebec

A new Léger survey commissioned by Le Journal de Montréal, conducted following Quebec's Oct. 5 election, suggests the Parti Québécois lost a potential majority by promising a sovereignty referendum in its first mandate. The poll estimates the party would have captured 35 % of the vote without the pledge, compared with the 28 % it actually achieved, a margin sufficient for a majority government. Only one-fifth of those surveyed favor a first-term referendum, underscoring the pledge’s unpopularity.

The findings surface amid a broader provincial debate sparked by Alberta’s recent referendum, in which roughly three-quarters voted to stay in Canada while seeking constitutional reforms. PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon cited the Alberta outcome as evidence that Canadians are ready to express views through referenda and called for greater provincial autonomy. Opposition figures, including Éric Duhaime and Charles Milliard, urged the PQ to abandon its referendum commitment, arguing it harms Quebec’s standing within the federation.