PQ Support Dwindles as Sovereignty Debates Give Way to Nationalism, Says Professor

Reporters listen to the Quebec election leaders’ debate in Montreal on Sept. 15, 2022. The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson

The Parti Québécois has battled historic lows in its popular support throughout 2022 as many supporters in Quebec shift their single-minded focus on sovereignty to other concerns.

Yannick Dufresne, a political science professor at Laval University, says he believes just over one-third of Quebecers support political independence for the province, yet throughout 2022 the PQ has placed fifth in opinion polls among the five major parties taking part in the Oct. 3 provincial election.