Good morning. Just as the polls prophesied, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s Parti Québécois reigned supreme in the Quebec election. More on that below, along with plans to make the Defence Investment Agency a Crown corporation and a historic rink’s uncertain future.

Quebec has elected the separatist Parti Québécois to a minority government, setting the stage for years of uncertainty about the party’s promised independence referendum, which will now require support from elsewhere in the province’s fragmented political landscape.

The result: After a five-way race that revealed a divided province and a splintered federalist vote, incoming premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon led his party to 59 seats in Monday’s provincial election, according to projections. St-Pierre Plamondon’s party needed to secure 64 seats to claim a majority in the National Assembly and will fall just short, with a number of races still too close to call as of late evening.

The runners-up: Monday’s election marked a dramatic end to the reign of the Coalition Avenir Québec. Under new Leader Christine Fréchette, the party was unable to counter an overwhelming appetite for change. The Quebec Liberal Party under new Leader Charles Milliard struggled to distinguish itself from other parties opposing a referendum, despite a strong end to the campaign. The provincial Conservative Party, unrelated to its federal namesake, is projected to win seats in the National Assembly for the first time. Québec solidaire, a left-wing separatist party that focuses more on social justice than independence, was projected on election night to finish fourth.

What’s next: The PQ Leader could make relations with the federal government far more contentious. He is vowing to eliminate the role of lieutenant-governor in Quebec and fight any increases in immigration at a time when Prime Minister Mark Carney is seeking interprovincial peace in the face of U.S. economic aggression.

On the ground: Our reporters offer five takeaways from the election.

Opinion: The PQ is back, and the rest of Canada will need to brace for that, Konrad Yakabuski writes.

Canada plans to turn the Defence Investment Agency, its new office for speeding up the purchase of military gear, into a Crown corporation, sources say. The transformation is meant to arm the organization and chief executive Doug Guzman with more decision-making authority.

The agency: The Carney government created the DIA to streamline the procurement of military purchases worth at least $100-million. Ottawa has committed to ramp up defence spending in an effort to bolster self-reliance and meet rising targets agreed to by NATO members.

Canadian security agencies are going to probe the activities in Canada of Biwei Zhang, the 33-year-old NATO intern arrested by Belgian authorities in July on espionage charges, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said.

The background: Zhang, who also uses Claire as her first name, was granted clearance to intern with NATO by Global Affairs Canada, after checks by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the RCMP. Every government department has been asked to review their screening processes, Anandasangaree told the House of Commons Public Safety Committee.

It’s well past time for Catholic hospitals to be secularized, André Picard writes.