# Extraordinary result in Quebec **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 6, 2026, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632 "2026-10-06T23:53:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/41 "2026-10-07T16:44:55Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > FPTP is a terrible system in a multi-party system. As pointed out above 14% can get you 0 seats, while 29% can give you a near majority. But I don’t like PR either; it gives too much power to the party leadership that sets up the list. No system is perfect (Arrow’s theorem; google it) but I like ranked choice the best. I don’t much care for the US primary system either. Maybe if voting were mandatory, it would work, but generally the most extreme voters vote in primaries with obvious results. Non-MAGA Republicans in the US have virtually no chance. Ranked choice, without pr incorporated with it, is still just fptp; all the exact same problems are carried over and new ones are added. PR systems (any one of them) are the only ones that guarantees that parliament reflects the vote share. No ifs, ands, or buts. Without ensuring this ( **where every vote is counted and contributes to parliament** -above a minimum threshold), the voting system isn’t reformed. If you think party lists give leaders too much power, in our current system party leaders just appoint whomever they want to safe seats; outright denying riding associations or delaying them until they are allowed to step in. Either way in the [MMP method](https://www.fairvote.ca/mixed-member-proportional/) of PR you vote for your local representative and the party lists are only used to even out the parties so that parliament seats = vote share, and these two do not drift apart. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/D3guVBhKmDc/maxresdefault.jpg "How a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system could work in Canada") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3guVBhKmDc) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/42 "2026-10-07T17:07:46Z")
The federal Liberals in 2012 were assumed to be done when Trudeau first took them over… ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/43 "2026-10-07T17:16:34Z")
A side note as to how strict the Quebecois are on French apparently the Belgian people are worse in regards to Flemish. A case in point, a train announcer was explaining to a reporter that by law they had to switch from French to Flemish when they crossed the border. It wasn’t a question of making announcements in both languages, they had use Flemish from then on. They are very protective of their language. Speaking of which: > [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > un cochon dans la marde That should be dans la **merde** And > [@Quondam\_Mechanic](#): > > Le couer a ses raisons que la raison ne connait pas. That should be Le **cœur** (or if you can’t get the ligature coeur) and ne **connaît** though you get a pass on the accents, I always had trouble with those as well. `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/44 "2026-10-07T17:43:23Z")
> [@icon](#): > > That should be dans la **merde** If the pig is Paris, Kinshasa, or Basse-Terre, yes. In Quebec, it’s “marde.” > [@psychonaut](#): > > English speakers have the luxury of not having to worry about language policy because it is the dominant language in most places where it is natively spoken, and indeed globally. There are places in the U.S. where many businesses are monolingual Spanish. Enclaves of every major city and huge swathes of Texas. The majority of San Antonio is a Spanish-only city. It’s the way things are and I don’t consider it a problem, nor do Spanish speakers complain when they inevitably need to learn English by the second generation in order to access professional careers. If Quebec French can’t survive without the government putting its finger on the scale, then why should it? What’s so special about this linguistic situation compared to every place else on the planet that we need to allow the Quebec government to deny people medical care or trample on the civil liberties of minority communities to preserve it artificially? Even if you buy into the nonsense “power” justifications about white English speakers (who have been in Montreal for 300 years and didn’t just show up and colonize it yesterday, btw) the amount of harassment of First Nations people, religious minorities, and immigrants over this issue in Quebec has to be considered unacceptable. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/45 "2026-10-07T18:17:29Z")
In Belgium, the very ancient—-and bilingual—-University of Leuven/Louvain was forced to split in two and the French half had to move to the French area, founding a new town called Louvain-La-Neuve. The university library was split in two, each campus getting every other book (not sure what they did with encyclopedias and other multi-volume items). Bilingualism is allowed to sprout only in Brussels. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/46 "2026-10-07T18:45:43Z")
> [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > If the pig is Paris, Kinshasa, or Basse-Terre, yes. In Quebec, it’s “marde.” Aha! That would cause some derision if used in France, you can’t even curse properly! 😜 More seriously thought, I never had trouble understanding Quebecois French, and I suspect neither would most french speakers. There are some expressions that would not be understood, but that is also true depending on where you are in France. Back to the topic at hand though. Is it really that surprising a result? All over the world there has been pushback against incumbents, for whatever flavor, persons already in power, means. `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/47 "2026-10-07T18:49:11Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > While the rest of Canada works hard to make French available for all public services across the country, Quebec is moving in the opposite direction even where English is widely spoken and genuinely necessary. What you’re describing is malpractice and in any civilized jurisdiction would be the subject of a lawsuit. The implication seems to be that if you cannot speak French, you don’t deserve health care. > > I’m ever more appalled at the situation in Quebec. What happened to @Hari_Seldon is absolutely irregular. Now, you would not expect anybody to speak English in France, Germany, or Paraguay. However, in Canada I always had the impression that everyone had the right to receive Federal/Crown services in both official languages. OTOH, English is not an official or working language in Quebec, so I am not sure where the line is drawn, e.g. maybe the probability is that nobody will speak English if you walk into a random post office, but there is supposed to be _some_ Post branch around which offers bilingual services? And they should be able to politely refer one to a different doctor… > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Bilingualism is allowed to sprout only in Brussels. I was once warned about speaking French willy-nilly in certain parts of Belgium, not that I was planning to, but I do not remember all the details. There was no problem with Brussels, of course. Fun fact: German is the official language in certain parts of Belgium. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/48 "2026-10-07T18:50:20Z")
> [@icon](#): > > Back to the topic at hand though. Is it really that surprising a result? All over the world there has been pushback against incumbents, for whatever flavor, persons already in power, means. Wikipedia page (including a long list of Canadian examples): > **[Electoral wipeout](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_wipeout)** > > An electoral wipeout occurs when a prominent or notably important main party wins no seat(s) in an election cycle; "wiped out" means no one secured victory, from that party, in the body that has conducted an election. The term is also used when a major party is reduced to a very small presence in the legislature. It is the opposite for a loss at the rate of another party's "landslide victory"; the two descriptions are often used as journalistic reference to critique overall opinion or support for... ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/49 "2026-10-07T19:01:19Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Instead of digging way back 31 years for that statistic, [let’s use a poll from this year](https://globalnews.ca/news/11716566/support-quebec-sovereignty-30-year-low/). Very recent poll, with what- 1000 people polled? But I quoted an actual election with 4,700,000+ votes. > [@Monty](#): > > Two official languages for the country, thus a rotation between two. But that’s not what the PM has promised. He promised to appoint someone who is fully bilingual in both of Canada’s official languages. Again- You can be bilingual and not be a Quebecois. > [@wolfpup](#): > > Plus the fact that Quebec has been allowed to take extraordinary measures to protect the French language and culture, some of which in my opinion are unconstitutional and prejudicial against the anglophone minority. But if it pacifies the radicals and prevents the breakup of Canada it’s worth it. Good point. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/50 "2026-10-07T19:34:06Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Very recent poll, with what- 1000 people polled? But I quoted an actual election with 4,700,000+ votes. The idea that referendum results from 30 years ago are more representative of _current_ opinion than a recent poll because that poll has a small sample size compared to the referendum is ridiculous.The political landscape in Quebec hasn’t been static for the past three decades. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/51 "2026-10-07T19:46:41Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Very recent poll, with what- 1000 people polled? But I quoted an actual election with 4,700,000+ votes. Of the 5 million electors registered to vote in the 1995 referendum, I imagine about half of them will have died or moved away in the last 30 years. Today, Quebec’s registered electorate stands at 6.5 million. Even if all remaining 2.5 million electors from 1995 haven’t changed their opinions since then, what makes you think that those opinions reflect those of the 4 million _new_ electors? By contrast, an appropriately sampled poll of 1000 people gives a margin of error of ±3 percentage points at 95% confidence. Do you really think this would be _less_ reflective of current opinion than using 30-year-old figures that necessarily exclude an entire well-defined class of electors—a class that happens to make up some 60% of the population? ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/52 "2026-10-07T19:51:55Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Now, you would not expect anybody to speak English in France, Germany, or Paraguay. Germany has a high percentage of English-speakers, about 50% of the total population and over 60% of the population age 18-34 can speak English. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/53 "2026-10-07T20:00:10Z")
**Moderating:** While I accept that a discussion of bilingualism in Quebec is on topic, and even the OP participated in it, I’m going to _discourage_ the periodic discussion on preferred language status outside of Quebec/Canada. The topic is the recent results in Quebec after all, and I’ve think we’ve had enough comparisons with other nations to establish Quebec isn’t alone in establishing a protective status. Not banning it, or at least not yet, but if you aren’t making direct comparisons to the _current_ situation in Quebec, it is drawing us away from the topic. _This is just a guidance, not a warning._ ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/54 "2026-10-07T20:04:53Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > Germany has a high percentage of English-speakers, about 50% of the total population and over 60% of the population age 18-34 can speak English. Yes, but outside the tourist industry you still wouldn’t _expect_ to be served in English. I lived and worked there for twelve years and occasionally witnessed entitled foreigners get smacked down by civil servants at the _Ausländerbehörde_ when they foolishly assumed they could register or renew their residence/work permits in English. I had anglophone colleagues risk losing their apartments or bank accounts because they thought they could ignore KYC demands and other correspondence sent to them in German. Admittedly this situation is not exactly analogous to Quebec, because in the latter you have (more or less) autochthonous communities of English speakers who, at least on a federal level, have recognized language rights. Come to think of it, Quebec also has measures in place for the protection of minority languages (particularly English) though these don’t always accord with those at the federal level, or grant English speakers the same rights and privileges they would enjoy in other provinces. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/55 "2026-10-07T20:32:26Z")
> [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > If Quebec French can’t survive without the government putting its finger on the scale, then why should it? That’s a perfectly valid question, though again one that refuses to consider thumbprints on the other side of the scale. > [@](#): > > What’s so special about this linguistic situation compared to every place else on the planet that we need to allow the Quebec government to deny people medical care or trample on the civil liberties of minority communities to preserve it artificially? As I wrote previously, the situation is not unique to Quebec. Whether or not you agree with them, tough legislative measures aimed at protecting a favoured language have been enacted in many other jurisdictions, including the Baltic states and Ukraine. (You may even have heard about a major world conflict whose origins and progress are bound up with these measures.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/56 "2026-10-07T21:53:05Z")
> [@Charlie\_Tan](#): > > Let me get this straight: you think that Quebec should leave Canada _and_ you think it’s a bad idea? It is a common strategy- when someone wants something that is foolish, you let them have to so that they learn from it. Parents do this with their kids- let them eat too much candy, the kids get sick, lesson learned. So it is a fun fantasy to imagine letting other people or groups do the same thing. let the Separatist Quebecois leave, and then they will find out how disastrously wrong and foolish that decision was. Do I _really_ want Quebec to leave? Not when I think about it logically. But sometimes when my emotions get in the way = “Let them!!” > [@wolfpup](#): > > One of the big reasons that Quebec remains in Canada is federal bribes. Yep. Let them go, and no more bribes. > [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > If Quebec French can’t survive without the government putting its finger on the scale, then why should it? What’s so special about this linguistic situation compared to every place else on the planet that we need to allow the Quebec government to deny people medical care or trample on the civil liberties of minority communities to preserve it artificially? Even if you buy into the nonsense “power” justifications about white English speakers (who have been in Montreal for 300 years and didn’t just show up and colonize it yesterday, btw) the amount of harassment of First Nations people, religious minorities, and immigrants over this issue in Quebec has to be considered unacceptable. Good points. > [@Gorsnak](#): > > The idea that referendum results from 30 years ago are more representative of _current_ opinion than a recent poll because that poll has a small sample size compared to the referendum is ridiculous. The idea that a poll with a small sample size is really representative is also ridiculous. Come on, we have seen the failure of polling in the USA several times. Sure, things have changed. But how about that election= > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > . Yesterday (Oct. 5) there was an election and they were totally wiped out: zero seats. The separatist party PQ (Parti Quebecois) won a plurality but 5 short of a majority. They have promised a referendum on independence, but will need at least 5 more votes to carry that out. The separatist party almost got a majority. How does that match with _71 per cent of Quebecers would vote no to separation?_ Okay, old referendums may not longer be valid, I agree. But this recent election _is_ valid. Explain how 71% do not want separation, while the separatist party almost got a majority? I think a failure of polling. But I am willing to hear another explanation. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/57 "2026-10-07T22:09:34Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > OTOH, English is not an official or working language in Quebec It is as long as Quebec is part of Canada. The Quebec government does make some effort to provide services in English to avoid blatantly defying the Official Languages Act, but in recent years certain official documents are provided in French only. I believe this includes birth certificates and driver’s licenses, both of which of course can cause problems with US authorities. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/58 "2026-10-07T22:10:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The separatist party almost got a majority. Of seats. 28% of the vote. Which, huh, leaves 72% not voting for them. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/59 "2026-10-07T22:17:31Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > 28% of the vote. Which, huh, leaves 72% not voting for them. Not only that, but the PQ is a well-established party which despite their radical separatist agenda I’m sure includes a comprehensive policy platform. You can vote for the PQ for other reasons while planning to vote “no” on the separatist referendum if there even is one. . ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632/60 "2026-10-07T22:21:35Z")
But then you’d have to count some of the QS supporters who do believe in independence but not with the rest of PQ’s platform or approach to separatism. That still doesn’t get you to 50% of the vote though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extraordinary-result-in-quebec/1033632.md?page=4)