UN Official Sandra Hernández to Run as Parti Québécois Candidate in Upcoming Election
In a significant political development, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has announced that United Nations official Sandra Hernández will join the party as a candidate for the upcoming provincial election. The announcement was made during a press conference at the party's Montreal headquarters on Tuesday, January 20, 2025.
International Experience Meets Quebec Sovereignty Ambitions
Sandra Hernández, a Longueuil native with extensive international experience, has decided to pause her UN career to pursue political aspirations with the Parti Québécois. Hernández has spent the last fifteen years working for the United Nations abroad, most recently in Colombia where she has been part of a team overseeing the peace accord between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Her professional background also includes work in Western Sahara, Afghanistan, and Haiti.
"We're in a moment, a momentum toward making our country," Hernández declared during the announcement, expressing her commitment to the sovereignty movement. "I'm excited to vote in the next and last referendum, let's hope, on the sovereignty of Quebec."
Political Context and Timing
The announcement comes at a crucial time in Quebec politics. While the general election is scheduled for October 5, 2026, Premier François Legault retains the power to call an election before that date. Both the Quebec Liberals and the governing Coalition Avenir Québec are currently in the process of selecting new leaders, with the CAQ's contest winner set to replace Legault as premier.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, whose party currently leads in the polls with 34 percent support according to recent Palas Data polling, expressed his desire for an earlier election. "When everything has become unrecognizable, in my opinion, it's time to give the public a say," the PQ leader stated.
Hernández's Personal Connection to Sovereignty Movement
Hernández revealed a deep personal connection to the sovereignty movement, recalling that she was just sixteen years old during the 1995 referendum when the Yes campaign was narrowly defeated. "I couldn't vote. My parents voted Yes," she shared, explaining how this experience shaped her political consciousness.
Following the 1995 referendum, Hernández became actively engaged in the sovereignist movement, eventually joining the leadership of the Bloc Québécois youth wing as a student. Her international experiences have only strengthened her conviction about Quebec's right to self-determination.
"I don't know anyone who regrets managing their affairs," Hernández said, reflecting on her work with various international communities. "Quebecers deserve their own country, like all the people across the world who I've spent time with."
Demographic Considerations and Political Strategy
When asked about the timing for another sovereignty referendum, Hernández pointed to demographic factors as significant considerations. "Now is the time for a referendum because the demographics are very challenging in terms of the decline of French and significant immigration," she explained. While she didn't elaborate extensively on this point, she suggested that examining the facts and numbers would lead to similar conclusions.
Current Political Landscape
The Parti Québécois announcement comes amidst a shifting political landscape in Quebec. Recent polling shows the PQ leading with 34 percent support, followed by the Liberals at 24 percent, Quebec Conservatives at 16 percent, and both the CAQ and Québec solidaire tied at 11 percent each.
Meanwhile, the governing CAQ has experienced recent departures, with Education Minister Sonia LeBel announcing on Monday that she won't seek re-election, following Municipal Affairs Minister Geneviève Guilbault's Sunday announcement that she is leaving politics.
Upcoming Political Events
Political activity continues to intensify across the province. The PQ leader was scheduled to travel to Chicoutimi later on Tuesday to speak ahead of a byelection that the government announced would be held on February 23. This weekend, the Parti Québécois will gather in St-Hyacinthe for a policy convention aimed at setting their election platform.
Hernández will participate in the St-Hyacinthe convention during a week off from her UN duties before returning to Colombia temporarily. Her candidacy represents what St-Pierre Plamondon described as "someone who is putting a very high-calibre international career on ice" to pursue Quebec sovereignty through the Parti Québécois.
