Canada at a Crossroads? The 2026 Quebec Election, Alberta, and National Unity

In early October 2026, Quebecers will head to the polls in a provincial election that holds important consequences for the province and for Canada, more broadly. Currently, the pro-independence Parti Québécois leads in election polling and is the most likely party to form the next provincial government. Nevertheless, polls also suggest that support for Quebec’s separation from Canada are at or near modern lows in the province. This roundtable panel will unpack the election results, examine the issues and political dynamics that shaped the campaign, and place the outcome in the longer trajectory of Quebec politics. The discussion will also look beyond Quebec. Voters in Alberta will also cast ballots later in October on a referendum about the future of their province’s status within the Canadian federation. That campaign, along with the Quebec provincial election, have brought questions about federalism and regional alienation back to the forefront of Canadian politics amidst the ongoing US–Canada trade war. The Quebec election thus offers a timely entry point into this wider conversation about Canadian unity. Panelists will offer short interventions from historical, political, and comparative perspectives, followed by an exchange among speakers and an audience question-and-answer session. The event is intended to provide both an immediate analysis of the 2026 Quebec election and a broader discussion of the changing politics of national unity in Canada. Panelists Jean-François Daoust is the 2026-2027 Bicentennial Visiting Professor at Yale’s MacMillan Center and an Associate Professor at the Université de Sherbrooke. His research expertise includes Canadian and Quebec politics, as well as elections in a comparative perspective. Mélyann Guévremont is a graduate student at the Université de Sherbrooke. Her research focuses on political behaviour and public opinion. Jocelyn Létourneau is Professor Emeritus (History) at Université Laval, Quebec City and a former Bicentennial Visiting Professor in Canadian Studies at Yale. His new book, published a month ago, is titled Révolution silencieuse. La transformation de l’identitaire Québécois (Silent Revolution. The transformation of Québécois Identity). Brendan A. Shanahan (event moderator) is an associate research scholar in Canadian Studies at the Yale MacMillan Center and a lecturer in the Department of History. His research and teaching examine, among other topics, comparative US and Canadian political history.