Quebecers could keep Canadian citizenship and passports even after independence, PQ leader says
Latest news on WhatsApp أجدد الأخبار على واتسابQuebecers would be able to keep their Canadian citizenship and Canadian passports even if Quebec became an independent country, Parti Quebecois (PQ) leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said Friday, as he unveiled a new “citizenship” chapter in the party’s Blue Book outlining its sovereignty project.
Speaking in Saint-Hyacinthe on January 23, 2026, St-Pierre Plamondon argued that Canada already permits dual citizenship in practice, and that singling out Quebecers for the loss of Canadian citizenship would raise major political and legal challenges. The Blue Book chapter also sketches pathways for Quebec citizenship in an independence scenario, including automatic Quebec citizenship for Canadian citizens residing in Quebec on “day one,” alongside other routes for non-citizens and certain groups outside Quebec.
Canadian federal guidance confirms that Canada allows dual (and multiple) citizenship, meaning Canadians can take another nationality without giving up Canadian citizenship.
However, observers note that any real-world outcome on who retains Canadian citizenship and passports in a hypothetical secession scenario would not be settled by a party platform alone. It would depend on federal law and the constitutional path to secession, including any negotiations that could follow a clear referendum result, as outlined in Canada’s Clarity Act framework tied to the Supreme Court’s secession reference.
