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Carney touts Canadian sovereignty in first comments on Parti Québécois win in Quebec
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OTTAWA — Hours after the Parti Québécois was elected to a minority government, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he spoke with premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and promised to work with him toward increasing sovereignty for Canadians.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday morning, Carney said he had just congratulated the incoming Quebec premier and discussed ways to work together.
At a separate press event, St-Pierre Plamondon said he told the prime minister he will work with him on the condition that it be in Quebec’s interest and that the relationship be built on respect.
“That means being informed of actions being taken and being consulted when our interests are in play,” St-Pierre Plamondon told reporters. “We want to be at the table, not on the menu.”
The PQ leader also said Carney assured him that there would not be an increase in immigration levels any time soon.
On Monday evening, Quebecers elected a minority Parti Québécois government to replace the Coalition Avenir Quebec, which was eradicated from the electoral map.
St-Pierre Plamondon, known as PSPP, committed to hold a referendum on Quebec’s sovereignty within his first mandate if elected, but only after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the Oval Office in 2029.
The PQ’s election could set major roadblocks in Carney’s “cooperative federalism” strategy to build major infrastructure and Canadian unity. For example, PSPP promised to kibosh the Alto high speed rail system between Quebec City and Toronto.
Tuesday, various federal cabinet ministers promised to work with their new provincial counterparts while avoiding any criticism of PSPP and his party’s platform.
Heritage Minister Marc Miller, who famously got into a war of words with PSPP last winter, said he expected the premier designate to represent his interests as a Quebecer.
“He’s my premier, and you know, as a Quebecer, I expect him to behave that way,” Miller said.
In the meantime, Carney said he would continue to promote cooperative federalism to the separatist leader and argued for the need for a “strong Quebec within a strong Canada.”
Asked if he was concerned about a Quebec referendum, Carney retorted that he too was working towards sovereignty, but for Canada.
“We take advantage of the real opportunities that exist for our country because of Canadians, because of Canadian values, because of Canadian strengths to expand our trading network and to become more sovereign in Canada,” Carney told reporters Tuesday morning.
“It’s sovereignty, but it’s Canada’s sovereignty. It’s Canada’s independence.”
PSPP was elected with only 28 per cent of the vote, raising questions about whether he has a legitimate mandate to hold a plebiscite on the province’s independence.
When the question was put to Carney, the prime minister simply responded with his party’s election numbers in the 2025 federal election.
Beyond a referendum, PSPP’s election raises serious questions about the viability of the federal government’s Also high speed rail project. In June, the PQ leader promised his government would pull out of the project, which he described as a likely “enormous financial fiasco.”
Last week, the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated that the project — which promises to cut train travel times between major cities in the Quebec City-Toronto corridor by up to half — could cost taxpayers over $110 billion.
On Tuesday, federal ministers came to the defence of the project while avoiding criticizing PSPP’s opposition to it.
“I think Alto is important for the country. It’s important for Canada. It’s important for our national unity, and we have a job federally to continue to convince Quebecers, Ontarians, and the rest of the country that this is really important for our economy,” Miller said.
Au nom du Parti conservateur du Canada, je félicite le prochain premier ministre du Québec, @PaulPlamondon, ainsi que tous ceux et celles qui ont gagné la confiance des Québécois ce soir.
Je suis particulièrement fier de mon ami de plus de 25 ans, @E_Duhaime, qui a réalisé des…
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) October 6, 2026
Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon refused to comment on the potential impact of the project he’s spearheading.
“W e’ll take the chance to digest the results, congratulate those who were elected last night, and look for ways to cooperate and work together in the future,” he said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre took to social media to congratulate PSPP as well as his longtime friend Eric Duhaime, leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec who won a historic 19 seats and became the second opposition in the National Assembly.
“Federal Conservatives will work with all members of the National Assembly to lower cost of living, protect our jobs, keep our communities safe, reform our immigration system, and put Canada first,” Poilievre wrote on X.
National Post
cnardi@postmedia.com
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