Quebec has held two previous votes on leaving Canada. Federalists won comfortably in 1980, but the 1995 result was excruciatingly close, with just 50.58 per cent voting to stay in Canada.First-time voter Alexia Gomez, 19, invoked tensions with the United States when she told AFP she opposed an independence referendum."If Quebec becomes independent it would make us politically, economically and militarily vulnerable," she said.Lydie Periard, a 22-year-old student, said she was "very worried" by the PQ's victory, condemning what she termed the party's "populist" stance on immigration. The PQ has backed immigration cuts, particularly for non-French speakers.The PQ replaces a party, known as the Coalition for Quebec's Future (CAQ), that advocated strongly for the province's distinctive culture within Canada, without supporting separatism.Lacking a majority, the PQ will struggle to advance its separatist agenda.The two largest opposition parties after Monday's vote, the Liberals and Conservatives, both declared they would never back a referendum on independence.PSPP may not have majority backing for an independent Quebec, but his plans to target the British monarchy appear far more popular.Canada is part of the British Commonwealth. King Charles III, Canada's head of state, is represented in Ottawa by the governor general. Lieutenant governors represent the monarchy in the provinces, including Quebec.In a 2025 Leger poll, 87 per cent of Quebecers said they felt no attachment to the British monarchy, and only 31 per cent expressed a favourable view of King Charles.PSPP has said his government could cut off funds for the lieutenant governor, calling it a "masquerade that wastes money."