Alberta separatists call Quebec's premier-designate an ally ahead of Oct. 19 vote
Quebec's Parti Quebecois swept the Coalition Avenir Quebec from office this week, and Alberta independence advocates say the result strengthens their cause before Albertans vote on separation later this month.
Why it matters
The reaction comes just two weeks before Albertans vote on whether to pursue leaving Canada, making Quebec's political shift directly relevant to the province's referendum debate.
Jeff Rath, a leading figure in Alberta's independence movement, said Tuesday that Paul St-Pierre Plamondon's election as Quebec premier-designate could reshape Canadian politics. Rath said he has gotten to know Plamondon personally over the past year, including a three-hour dinner meeting in Calgary, and called him a genuine ally of the Alberta cause. St-Pierre Plamondon and the Parti Quebecois are set to form a minority government after Monday's election wiped out the governing Coalition Avenir Quebec. He has pledged a third Quebec separation referendum, though not before U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office, and previously told a Calgary audience he would recognize an independent Alberta if the province voted to separate.
Corey Morgan, an online commentator involved in advertising for Alberta's referendum, also welcomed the result, arguing that independence movements in both provinces benefit from maintaining pressure on the federal system. On Oct. 19, Albertans will vote on whether to remain in Canada or hold a second, binding vote on leaving, a referendum Premier Danielle Smith called after competing petitions each gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures.
Smith, who has said she personally supports staying in Canada, congratulated St-Pierre Plamondon on social media and said she looks forward to working with his government, without directly addressing separation. Prime Minister Mark Carney's congratulatory post also did not mention the issue. Rath pointed to the Parti Quebecois's path to victory with roughly 28 per cent of the vote, suggesting a similar scenario could unfold in Alberta if the governing United Conservative Party were to fracture over separation, noting recent leadership-review calls from two UCP constituency associations.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.