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# Quebec Political Landscape | What's next?
- URL: https://www.craftpolitics.fm/episodes/quebec-political-landscape-whats-next/
- Published: 2026-02-03T19:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-07T20:56:10.000Z
- Author: Joseph Lavoie
- Tags: Kevin Paquette, Former CAQ youth wing president, #episode, #interview, #ai-5

Quebec represents 23% of Canada’s population and 20% of GDP. If it separated — which is back on the table for the first time in a generation — it would be like the UK losing Scotland, except with a larger economy.

The last referendum in 1995? The “no” side won by 54,288 votes. Half a percent. Thirty years later, the separatist Parti Québécois is leading the polls with a commitment to hold another referendum by 2030.

We brought in Kevin Paquette, a colleague at Crestview who was president of the CAQ youth wing during the party’s rise, to make sense of what’s actually happening.

**What We Covered**

- **The collapse of the third way.** François Legault’s CAQ offered Quebec nationalists a deal: protect the French language, get more autonomy, skip the referendum drama. The party went from 90 seats in 2022 to polling at near-extinction today.
- **Support for the PQ doesn’t mean support for sovereignty.** Roughly 30% of current PQ voters would vote *no* in a referendum. People are parking votes with the PQ because they’re fed up with everyone else.
- **The Montreal-regions divide.** Elections aren’t won in Montreal. They’re won in the francophone regions where people feel increasingly disconnected from a metropolitan core that doesn’t share their lived experience.
- **The Supreme Court wildcard.** The upcoming decision on Bill 21 and the notwithstanding clause could hand the PQ a narrative that writes itself: we tried to make Canada work, and Canada said no.

**Key Insight**

Kevin’s prediction: minority government, regardless of who wins. Both the CAQ and Liberals are picking new leaders months before the October 2026 election while the separatists cruise in the polls. A third referendum loss would end Quebec’s leverage game with Ottawa permanently — which means nationalists may not actually want a referendum they might lose.

**Guest**

**Kevin Paquette** — public affairs consultant at Crestview Strategy, former CAQ youth wing president (2017–2019), and sharp observer of Quebec’s regional-urban divide.

00:00 Welcome and Quebec's Political Earthquake  
00:39 Quebec by the Numbers — Economic Power and Political Stakes  
01:42 The 1995 Referendum and the Separatist Comeback  
02:25 The Rise and Fall of the Third Way — CAQ's Collapse  
03:11 Introducing Kevin Paquette — Inside the CAQ Movement  
05:21 Leadership Resignations and the Floodgates Open  
07:48 30 Percent of PQ Voters Would Vote No — The Parking Problem  
11:37 Why Legault Didn't Get the Trump Bounce  
17:01 Was the CAQ Just a Vehicle for Legault?  
18:13 The Leadership Race — Fréchette vs. Drainville  
19:30 The Conservative Roots the CAQ Forgot  
21:25 Montreal versus the Regions — Quebec's Growing Divide  
24:19 The Language Barrier and the Francophone Experience  
29:55 Quebec City and the South Shore — The CAQ's Lost Heartland  
33:08 The Sovereignty Elephant in the Room  
37:27 Paul St-Pierre Plamondon — The Conviction Candidate  
39:46 The Supreme Court Bill 21 Decision — The Referendum Trigger?  
42:11 October 2026 Scenarios — Minority Government Chaos  
44:41 The Third Referendum Risk — Why Nationalists Fear Another Loss  
45:29 Wrap and Final Thoughts