PQ leader cheers on possible referendum in Alberta

The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 07, 2025 10:04 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

The person of the sovereignist Parti Québécois is throwing his enactment down a imaginable referendum successful Alberta, applauding Premier Danielle Smith for lasting up for her province. 

Speaking to reporters successful Quebec City connected Tuesday, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said Smith has utilized the spectre of a referendum to summation leverage arsenic she makes demands of the national government, including connected assets development. 

"This is simply a premier who has decided to code the authorities of Canada straight by saying, 'If you bash not respect our democracy, you bash not respect our fiscal choices and our priorities, I volition respond to your maltreatment of powerfulness with factual actions,'" helium said. 

St-Pierre Plamondon said provinces person the close to consult their colonisation connected the question of independency if they consciousness the national authorities is not respecting them. He said he's successful "total agreement" with provinces that instrumentality a basal to support their ain interests. 

The PQ has launched 2 referendums connected Quebec sovereignty – successful 1980 and 1995 – and mislaid both. St-Pierre Plamondon promises to clasp a 3rd by 2030 if his enactment forms authorities successful adjacent year's provincial election.

On Tuesday, the PQ person lambasted Quebec Premier François Legault, who promised not to clasp a referendum connected sovereignty earlier helium was archetypal elected successful 2018.

"What a striking motion to spot Danielle Smith bash much successful presumption of autonomy and defence of her ain state … than François Legault has done implicit his full mandate," helium said. 

Smith said Monday during a livestream code that she volition clasp a referendum connected separation successful Alberta adjacent twelvemonth if citizens stitchery capable signatures connected a petition, though she said she does not enactment Alberta exiting Canada.

"I personally inactive person anticipation that determination is simply a way guardant for a beardown and sovereign Alberta wrong a agreed Canada," she said during a quality league connected Tuesday. 

Still, her authorities introduced a measure past week to little the barroom petitioners request to conscionable to trigger a provincial referendum. On Tuesday, Smith said the barriers are presently excessively high, and the alteration volition marque a petition run "achievable."

She said there's "a batch of anger" successful Alberta toward the national authorities and what she called its "destructive, anti-resource agenda." 

Smith has promised to name a caller dialog squad to request guaranteed entree to tidewater for Alberta's assets exports, including lipid and gas. She is besides calling connected Ottawa to scrap respective biology policies. 

The Liberal authorities "can't proceed pursuing extremist policies" supported by the NDP oregon the Bloc Québécois, Smith said Tuesday. 

St-Pierre Plamondon said the treatment of separation successful Alberta belies the thought that Canada has pulled unneurotic successful caller months to face threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. 

"In reality, different Canadian provinces … are inactive seeing capable maltreatment of powerfulness connected the portion of the national authorities to spell truthful acold arsenic to see a referendum connected their ain independence," helium said. 

The Liberals surged successful Quebec during past week's national election, which saw them triumph 43 of the province's 78 seats, up from 33 astatine the dissolution of Parliament. Their gains came astatine the disbursal of the sovereignist Bloc Québécois, which was reduced to 23 seats from 33.