Quebec legislature votes unanimously to cut all ties with the monarchy

Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon during Question Period at the National Assembly, May 1, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

King Charles III had barely left the country as the National Assembly unanimously adopted a motion on Tuesday to cut all ties with the monarchy.

The motion was tabled by PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon after Question Period, on a red-letter day in another parliament, Ottawa, where the monarch delivered the Speech from the Throne for the first time since 1977.

The PQ motion was adopted unanimously, with 106 votes in favour and no abstentions. Even the federalist Liberals, who are more attached to Canadian institutions, voted in favour, as did the CAQ government benches.

The vote was at 3:06 pm. The King had just left Canada shortly after 1 p.m., at the end of a short two-day visit.

On Tuesday, he was welcomed by crowds of curious onlookers who lined Wellington Street, where he was escorted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 27, 2025.

By Patrice Bergeron, The Canadian Press