What to expect from a Parti Québécois government

The sovereigntist Parti Québécois is projected to form the next government in Quebec, though it’s still too soon to say whether they will have a majority at the National Assembly.

PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon campaigned on a promise of change after eight years of Coalition Avenir Québec rule. The PQ won only three seats in the 2022 election, but surged in popularity as dissatisfaction with the CAQ grew.

Under St-Pierre Plamondon, the PQ shifted further to the right, promising to rein in government spending, strengthen the protection of the French language and reduce the number of immigrants arriving in Quebec.

The PQ also wants to lay the groundwork for a referendum, which it plans to hold after U.S. President Donald Trump’s term ends in 2029.

Here’s a closer look at what the PQ has promised — with the caveat that some of its pledges will be much harder to achieve if it forms a minority government.

Cost of living and the economy

The PQ’s fiscal plan calls for a $6.6-billion reduction in government spending over five years by finding efficiencies in government bureaucracy — a pledge some experts have found unrealistic.

St-Pierre Plamondon says those savings would be put back into sectors such as health care and education.

To offer immediate relief to consumers, the party promised to eliminate the provincial sales tax on second-hand goods, temporarily cut Quebec’s sales tax on gasoline in half and expand benefits under the province’s parental insurance plan.

Health-care reforms

St-Pierre Plamondon promised to abolish Santé Québec, the government agency created by the CAQ nearly three years ago to oversee the health-care system.

He argued during the campaign that it was an unnecessary, additional layer of bureaucracy.

The PQ also wants to make local community service centres, known as CLSCs, the main point of entry into the health system for Quebecers, with an investment of $150 million over four years.

One of St-Pierre Plamondon’s first campaign announcements was outside a school in Quebec City, where he argued that immigrants were overcrowding classrooms and leading to the decline of the French language.

The PQ wants to cut immigration levels, limiting the number of permanent immigrants to 35,000 people a year. That would represent a substantial reduction from last year, when roughly 60,000 newcomers settled in Quebec.

The PQ has also promised to reduce non-permanent immigration quotas.

The business community is unlikely to welcome this approach. Several groups have called for an increase in the number of immigrants to meet the demands of the labour force.

Stronger language laws

The PQ also wants to strengthen language laws, extending the Charter of the French Language to CEGEPs and to the children of non-permanent residents who have been living in Quebec for more than 12 months.

It also wants to strengthen French-language requirements for obtaining or renewing a work permit, based on the type of job held, with an exception for the agricultural sector.

Among other plans for classrooms, the PQ would have schools allocate 10 per cent of the grade on all assignments to the quality of French, regardless of the subject.

Tense relations with Ottawa

Along with immigration, which is a shared responsibility with the federal government, St-Pierre Plamondon is gearing up for a fight with Ottawa on other fronts.

During the campaign, he said that all intergovernmental relationships with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government will become part of the broader project to prepare the province for independence.

A PQ government will also face a potential constitutional showdown over Bill 21, Quebec’s secularism law. The Supreme Court of Canada is expected to issue a ruling on the controversial legislation by the end of the year.

If the country’s highest court strikes down the law, which bans some public servants from wearing religious symbols, the PQ is likely to use the defeat as potent political ammunition, arguing it proves Quebec’s values can only be protected through independence.

St-Pierre Plamondon also said he would move to abolish the monarchy in Quebec, though experts say that will be difficult.

Referendum in the plans

St-Pierre Plamondon says he won’t hold a referendum until after Trump leaves office in January 2029, but he’s planning to lay the groundwork before then.

To build his case, the party has pledged to set aside $20 million for studies and consultations during its first years in power.

If the PQ wins only a minority of seats, however, a referendum becomes much less likely, given the timeline and support it would require.

Given that polls have consistently shown that roughly 70 per cent of Quebecers oppose a referendum, St-Pierre Plamondon will face a steep uphill climb to convince a majority of them to vote yes.