Voters in Quebec are heading to the polls in provincial elections expected to return the Parti Québécois (PQ) to power, marking the separatist movement's first government in the French-speaking Canadian province in more than a decade.
The PQ has committed to holding a referendum on Quebec independence from Canada by 2028, according to The Guardian. The party currently leads polling as the election approaches.
Quebec has a population of roughly nine million people. The province is Canada's primary French-speaking region.
The PQ last held provincial government power more than ten years ago. A return to office would represent a significant shift in Quebec's political direction toward the independence movement, which has alternated between periods of electoral strength and weakness over recent decades.
The source material does not identify the timing of the election, competing parties, the scale of the PQ's polling lead, or specific details of the independence referendum campaign beyond the 2028 deadline.