Politics
Sorry Catalans, Even Quebec Is Sidestepping Separatism This Year
- Upstart CAQ makes immigration top issue in provincial vote
- Iconic Parti Quebecois sees voters drift to left-leaning rival
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It no longer pays to talk about independence in Quebec. Just ask the Parti Quebecois.
The political force behind two referendums on separating from Canada and some of the province’s signature laws is headed for the worst electoral result in its 50-year history, polls ahead of the Oct. 1 vote show. Traditionally the main alternative to the ruling Liberal Party, it has found itself pushed to third place by an untested front-runner, Coalition Avenir Quebec, that wants to reduce immigration. For the first time in decades, independence is barely being mentioned on the campaign trail.