Quebec's sovereignty question is back in play 31 years after the 1995 referendum

The 1995 referendum on whether Quebec should leave Canada was decided by just over a percentage point. Thirty-one years later, with the Parti Québécois back in government, the question is back in political conversation.

Pierre Alexandre Landry, a Montrealer, said his parents voted yes in 1995 and that things would likely go the same way for him if there were another vote. He added that for this generation, whether it happens right away "." Another Montrealer put it bluntly: "The answer is no. With capital letters and an exclamation mark."

Daniel Béland, director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said the likelihood of a third referendum anytime soon is "quite low," adding "But it's not impossible." Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon campaigned on holding another referendum, but has said none will happen while Donald Trump remains in the White House.

Béland said Quebec in 1995 could rely on the United States as a reliable trade partner, "This will no longer be the case in the current context." He also said support for sovereignty can shift quickly, and that a future Supreme Court ruling on Bill 21, Quebec's secularism law, could become a rallying point for sovereigntists if it goes against the law.

Lawyer Julius Grey said the legal landscape has changed since 1995. A 1998 Supreme Court ruling found Quebec cannot separate unilaterally, but a clear vote for secession would trigger negotiations. "There is no right to a unilateral declaration of independence," Grey said. "But there is a right to negotiations."