The Parti Québécois (PQ) scored a surprise victory in Quebec’s provincial elections, reigniting separatist ambitions and posing a major challenge to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s message of national unity.

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Partial results showed the PQ secured around 30% of the vote, but vote‑splitting among federalist parties tipped the balance in their favor. While the separatists fell short of a majority government, their win signals renewed momentum for Quebec’s independence movement.

PQ leader Paul St‑Pierre Plamondon celebrated the outcome, promising to hold a referendum on Quebec’s future — but only after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office, a timeline designed to avoid external political turbulence.

For Canada’s federal government, the result is a test of its ability to maintain cohesion in the French‑speaking province, where separatist sentiment has ebbed and flowed for decades. Analysts say the PQ’s victory underscores frustration with federalist parties and could reshape Canada’s political landscape in the years ahead.

Though the PQ lacks a majority, the symbolic win has energized supporters and placed Quebec’s sovereignty debate back at the center of national politics.