“I expect there will be one,” says Coderre on a third independence referendum

Denis Coderre said he expects a third referendum on Quebec independence.

The future leader of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) floated the idea during a news scrum in the National Assembly on Wednesday.

The former Montreal mayor took part in a question period in the public gallery before announcing his willingness to meet with the media.

A former federal minister says the next election campaign in Quebec, expected in 2026, will be a federalist-separatist campaign.

To support his argument, he quoted Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who has expressed his firm intention to hold a referendum if the PQ forms the next government.

The PQ leader shook Coderre's hand on Wednesday and welcomed him to the National Assembly.

— This Canadian Press report was first published in French on February 14, 2024.