The R-word has returned with a vengeance — and it’s not going away any time soon.

During an in-depth interview with radio host Paul Arcand last week, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who has been leading in the polls, reiterated his unwavering commitment to holding a referendum on sovereignty in a first mandate if he wins the Oct. 5 election.

Grassroots groups in Alberta secured enough signatures earlier this month to have a question on separating from Canada put on the ballot of a referendum on other matters already scheduled for Oct. 19.

So hold on to your hats. October could be a pivotal month for the future of this country, even if a majority of voters in both provinces have repeatedly told pollsters they don’t want a referendum, want to remain in Canada and are strongly attached to the True North strong and free — especially as U.S. President Donald Trump muses about making us the 51st state.

Paradoxical though it is, no one should take anything for granted as separatists in both provinces forge ahead in spite of economic turbulence and geopolitical turmoil.

Perhaps this seems like déjà vu to Quebecers, who lived through referendums in 1980 and 1995. But there has never been a parallel independence movement campaigning elsewhere in Canada at the same time.

The extent to which these forces could fuel and reinforce each other is hard to predict, but St-Pierre Plamondon has expressed his support for an Alberta independence referendum, lauded Premier Danielle Smith’s quest for more autonomy, and told an audience at the University of Calgary last fall he hopes to find areas of co-operation.

The last two referendums on Quebec sovereignty also didn’t take place at a time when foreign entities are eager to exploit Canada’s divisions, be they Russian propaganda mills or MAGA influencers.

Already, Canadian researchers have detected an upswing in misinformation and disinformation related to the separatism debate in........

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