Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon at the party’s convention in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., on Friday.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
The campaign for an independent Quebec is beginning to take shape at a Parti Québécois convention this weekend, ahead of a provincial election that will likely be fought over the prospect of a third referendum.
Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon urged hundreds of party members assembled Friday evening in St-Hyacinthe, a small city east of Montreal, not to give into “fear of the moment” as they plan for another vote on independence.
The PQ leader has promised to hold a referendum by 2030 if his party forms government in the next election, scheduled for October.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has been the main target of sovereigntist leaders at the convention, following a speech he gave in Quebec City last week, in which he called for national unity. During the address, Mr. Carney invoked the Battle of the Plains of Abraham as the start of co-operation and partnership.
The 1759 battle saw British forces defeat French troops, leading to the surrender of Quebec. During a fiery speech on Saturday, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet demanded an apology from the prime minister.
“At this point, it is no longer ignorance, but a serious lack of respect for history, a serious lack of respect for the victims of English and Canadian repression,” he said, to a standing ovation.
Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon has promised to respond to Mr. Carney’s speech “point by point” during his closing address on Sunday.
Delegates will vote Sunday on a political program meant to serve as the basis for the PQ’s election platform. It opens with an “unambiguous” pledge to hold a referendum in a first mandate.
The PQ has been leading in the polls for more than two years, while the governing Coalition Avenir Québec and the opposition Liberals are currently in the midst of leadership races.
Over the weekend, CAQ ministers Bernard Drainville and Christine Fréchette announced campaigns to replace Premier François Legault, who announced his resignation earlier this month.
During his speech on Friday, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon urged party members to set aside any doubt about independence.
“Let us not be afraid, because fear has never been a good counsellor,” he told the crowd Friday evening.
Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon acknowledged what he called “an increasingly complex and not always reassuring geopolitical situation,” arguing that it heightens the need for Quebec to be “at the table” as a sovereign nation.
But Lynda Gauthier, a longtime sovereigntist who recently joined the party, admitted it’s “a little dizzying” to contemplate a referendum on independence at this moment. “We need to be even more convinced and more convincing,” she said.
Party member Sylvain Castonguay said this is a “crucial period” in Quebec’s history, following the failure of independence campaigns in 1980 and 1995.
“This is our last chance,” he said. “If we say ‘no’ again, that will be the end.”