Paul St-Pierre Plamondon

42nd Quebec Legislature

On January 28, 2020, he officially announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Parti Québécois. He won the leadership race on October 9, 2020, with 56% of the vote in the third round. Plamondon this time unlike in 2016, pledged to hold a sovereignty referendum in the first mandate of a PQ government.^[24]

In early 2022, he announced that he would be a candidate in the riding of Camille-Laurin, in Montreal. On election night, he defeated Coalition Avenir Québec MNA Richard Campeau, aided by the lack of a Québec solidaire candidate in the riding.^[25]

During the 2022 Quebec general election, he and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois from Québec solidaire faced some controversy for their use of the word nègre while they discussed academic freedom in schools and universities during a televised debate.^[26] The 2022 provincial election saw even further erosion and an unprecedented loss of support for the Parti Québécois.^[27] Not only did the party once again not form government or the official opposition, but it was reduced to its smallest-ever presence in the legislature, with only three seats won.^[27] The previous low was its second election, in 1973, where the party won six seats. The PQ lost its official party status and came in a distant fourth place.^[27] It won only 14 percent of the vote, its lowest ever.^[27] The movement of most voter support over to the CAQ and other nationalist parties put into question the party's relevance and its ability to survive in future.^{[citation needed]}

43rd Quebec Legislature

Plamondon and the PQ, said after the general election in 2022 that they would not take the Oath of Allegiance upon attempting to take their seats in the National Assembly of Quebec,^[28][29] arguing, "you can't serve two masters at the same time."^[30] In response, the President of the National Assembly, François Paradis, asserted that the PQ MNAs were required to recite the oath or risk expulsion from the legislature.^[31] On 1 December 2022, PQ MNAs continued to refuse and were stopped from entering the legislature.^[32] The Executive Council, occupied by the Coalition Avenir Québec party, headed by François Legault, thereafter tabled a bill that purported to amend the constitution of Canada so as to add to Section 128 of the Constitution Act, 1867—the clause requiring the Oath of Allegiance for legislators—a statement that the section does not apply to Quebec.^[36] That bill passed the assembly with unanimous consent on 6 December 2022.^[37] It remains, unclear if the law has any effect.^[38][39]

After the 2022 provincial election, the PQ held a leadership confidence vote in March 2023. Plamondon broke a record for the PQ votes of confidence, with 98.51% support.^[40][41][42] After the 2022 election, Plamondon shifted the PQ rightward shift away from the progressive legacy of Premiers René Lévesque, Jacques Parizeau, Lucien Bouchard and Pauline Marois.^[43] The PQ started to see an increase in its support in polls, with them polling as the second largest party but still behind the CAQ.^[44] On October 2, 2023, the PQ won its fourth seat with its win in the 2023 Jean-Talon provincial by-election, with Pascal Paradis being elected MNA.^[45] Since November 2023, the PQ has been polling as the largest party, with support over 30%.^[46] Their polling has reportedly been affected by the 2025 United States trade war with Canada and Mexico.^[47]

Plamondon has been described for scapegoating immigrants for problems caused by the Quebec government, in contrast to former PQ immigration minister Gerald Godin, who saw immigrants as the future of Quebec's sovereigntist movement.^[48] In 2024, Plamondon called for a referendum on immigration.^[49][50] He also agreed with American president Donald Trump's comment that immigrants from Canada were bringing fentanyl into USA.^[51] On September 11, 2025, letter was published in La Presse, which included former PQ cabinet minister Louise Harel as one of the signatories, as a response to an advertisement that PQ put out on immigration, stating it is a complex topic and the public should not be misled on it.^[52] Plamondon called the letter a form of intimidation and referred to the signatories as part of the radical left.^[53] Plamondon was also critical of former Quebec City mayor Régis Labeaume, who wrote in La Presse that he was using inflammatory rhetoric to win over the “white francophone” vote, by demanding that La Presse give him a column so that he can refute what he saw as the “defamatory allegations"; in which the paper rejected.^[53][54] Former Montreal Gazette journalist Christopher Curtis revealed that during the 2020 leadership race, Plamondon called Curtis, who never gave his phone number, and demanded that he take down a tweet comparing Plamondon's immigration views to the French far-right.^[53] In June 2026, Plamondon told the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, that he would never scapegoat immigrants for decisions made by policymakers.^[55]

On November 28, 2024, it was reported by Noovo Info that members of the sovereigntist identarian group Nouveau alliance were participating in the meetings of the PQ and the Bloc Québécois.^[56] Plamondon stated that his party welcomed those in the far-right and far-left as long as they respect their code of ethics.^[56]

On March 17, 2025, the PQ won its fifth seat with its win in the 2025 Terrebonne provincial by-election, with Catherine Gentilcore being elected MNA.^[57] On August 11, 2025, the PQ won its sixth seat with its win in the 2025 Arthabaska provincial by-election, with Alex Boissonneault being elected MNA. After their Arthabaska victory, Plamondon welcomed support from People Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier for a third referendum.^[58] Former PQ premier Lucien Bouchard was critical of Plamondon's plan for a third referendum during his first term and advised that he should reconsider his plan.^[59] Plamondon rejected Bouchard's comment by pointing out that he is still a member of the party.^[60] Plamondon has also stated that if a sovereignty referendum were successful, Quebec would establish its own currency up to a decade after the vote.^[61] The PQ would also consider establishing an independent commission to evaluate creating its own currency, keeping the Canadian dollar, or adopting the American dollar.^[61]

On September 3, 2025, Plamondon expressed support for Alberta separatism movement.^[62] After the Financial Times revealed in 2026 that Alberta separatists meet the U.S. State Department, he revealed that in September he also met with the leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project, a separatist group by establishing a positive relationship with them and would be opened to assisting them.^[63]

In December 2025, Plamondon declared on social media that part of Quebec's cultural community lacked loyalty after representatives from several cultural associations welcomed Marc Miller’s appointment as federal minister of Canadian Identity and Culture.^[64] Laurent Dubois, director general of the Society of Radio, Television and Film Authors, one of representatives that welcomed Miller appointment, was critical of Plamondon's comment by stating that they welcomed Miller since their union members are affected by two federal laws, the Broadcasting Act and the Copyright Act.^[65] Artists such as screenwriter Eric K. Boulianne and director Rafaël Ouellet also criticized Plamondon's condemnation of Miller by sharing a screenshot of him congratulating Donald Trump on his victory in November 2024.^[66] Sovereignist songwriter Paul Piche felt that Plamondon made a mistake and should apologize for his comment, while filmmaker Louis Bélanger felt that Plamondon damaged the historical relationship between the cultural community and the party.^[67] The following Sunday, Plamondon tempered his comments while appearing on Tout le monde en parle.^[68]

In February 2026, his party won the 2026 Chicoutimi provincial by-election, with Marie-Karlynn Laflamme becoming the PQ's seventh MNA.^[69] After their Chicoutimi by-election, Plamondon admitted it was possible that he would wait for the end of Trump's term in office before holding a referendum; he confirmed this in an announcement in August.^[70] A month later, he later admitted that the war on Iran would have an impact on sovereigntist program but believed that Quebec independence was necessary.^[71] Plamondon later said even though, he would not commit to a tax cut, that an independent Quebec may promise lower taxes and higher pensions benefits.^[72] After the pro-independence organization Organisations unies pour l'indépendance Québec released a report on how the PQ leadership created a lack of inclusivity within the separatism movement.^[73][18] Despite being recommend by former PQ cabinet minister Louise Harel and Louise Beaudoin recommend that he accept the findings, Plamondon stated that he was not targeted report.^[73][18]