Quebec will delay any independence referendum while Trump is president

Quebec will not hold a referendum on independence from Canada while Donald Trump remains President of the United States, the head of the province's main separatist party announced on August 18, 2026.

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of the Parti Québécois — which is currently out of power but could win the next provincial election due by October 5, 2026 — said any referendum on sovereignty would be scheduled during his party's first term in office but “not before January 20, 2029,” the day he expects the Trump presidency to end.

Reasoning and timing

Plamondon argued that a debate over Quebec’s future requires calm and clarity and must not be distorted by external political turbulence. "It must not be hijacked by the whirlpool of American politics, nor by the outbursts of an unpredictable president, nor by fear-based campaigns. This unpredictability of the American administration will harm our process, as well as the quality of the debate about our future as a nation," he said.

The leader framed the decision as a safeguard for the quality of public discussion in Quebec rather than a retreat from separatist goals, saying a future government led by his party would still put a referendum to voters during its first mandate — only after the period he identified.

Separatist sentiment has also surfaced elsewhere in Canada: voters in Alberta are scheduled to decide on October 19, 2026 whether the province should take steps toward holding a binding referendum on leaving the federation.

Quebec has held two previous independence referendums, in 1980 and 1995, both of which resulted in majorities choosing to remain within Canada.

Photo: press material from the event