The former soldier had been living in exile since 2020, and said in a video posted this month on TikTok that he feared for his life.

The idea of independence remains deeply unpopular in Quebec, yet the separatist Parti Québécois was re-elected to a minority government this week.

© Patrick Doyle/Reuters

Angered by poor classroom conditions, students at Paul Éluard High School in a suburb of the capital were among the first to blockade their campus during an ongoing round of unrest.

© Abdul Saboor/Reuters

The separatist party’s victory fell short of clinching a majority that would have all but guaranteed a potential showdown with Ottawa over Canada’s future.

© Andrej Ivanov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The Parti Québécois, which promised an independence referendum if elected on Monday, could return to power after more than a decade.

© Andrej Ivanov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images