Quebec party leaders spar about referendum and sovereignty in second debate

MONTREAL — Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette delivered multiple warnings about the dangers of a referendum on sovereignty Wednesday as party leaders squared off for their second debate of the provincial election campaign.

After opening up the debate with a statement acknowledging that her party was not perfect after eight years in government, Fréchette went on the attack early against Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, repeatedly challenging him on his promise to hold a referendum in the first four years of a PQ mandate.

“Is it really the time to add uncertainty with the referendum of Paul St-Pierre Plamondon? Me, I’ll work on your priorities. Him, he’ll work at planning a referendum,” she said in her opening statement.

St-Pierre Plamondon has pledged to spend over $130 million to organize a referendum on Quebec sovereignty if his party forms a government after the Oct. 5 election. But he has said it would wait until after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the White House in 2029, before triggering the sovereignty vote.

Fréchette has declined to say how she would vote on a sovereignty referendum, but she repeatedly warned that St-Plamondon’s plans could destabilize Quebec and harm its economy.

Fréchette even brought up the issue as she faced off one-on-one against some of the other party leaders about unrelated issues, prompting Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard to remind her she was going off topic.

“Right now, you’re debating me,” Milliard said.

The themes of the 90-minute televised debate, hosted by Noovo, included the cost of living, finance and infrastructure, youth, health and protecting the French language.

Fréchette frequently came under attack over accusations that she was part of a government that had wasted public money.

The PQ and CAQ leaders were also asked if they were in favour of cutting electricity exports to the United States in response to the escalating trade war.

Fréchette said it was something she didn’t rule out, although it wasn’t her first choice. St-Pierre Plamondon said he was “a bit surprised” to hear Fréchette was opening the door to escalate tensions with the United States.

“Me, I’m not in that school of thought,” he said.

The debate comes hours after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a memorandum directing federal agencies overseeing government procurement in the United States to remove all products of Canadian origin. The move is the latest escalation of the trade war by the Trump administration after negotiations between Canada and the United States broke down last month.

Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal and Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime also debated strategies to address climate change, with Duhaime suggesting Quebec should be exploiting its natural gas resources through fracking to displace other fossil fuels.

Ghazal said Duhaime was proposing to pursue exactly what Trump wanted Quebec to do, and said the province should instead be keeping up with other jurisdictions that are growing their clean energy sectors.

Fréchette also sought to distance herself from her predecessor, François Legault, while saying she can bring the province much-needed stability.

Wednesday’s debate was the second of three planned exchanges between the leaders of the five parties.

The final debate will be hosted by Radio-Canada on Sept. 23.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2026.