Parti Québécois Crisis, 1984
Encyclopedia
The Parti Québécois Crisis of 1984 was one of the most severe internal party crises in Quebec politics.
politician Brian Mulroney became Prime Minister of Canada
, with the backing of many Parti Québécois (PQ)
supporters. Tensions erupted between the so-called radical supporters of the Parti Québécois
and the more moderate ones over their leader René Lévesque
’s decisions to:
In November 1984, six PQ MNAs
resigned from the Cabinet
. They were soon followed by other legislators who crossed the floor to sit as Independents
.
s, managing to finish third in the district of L’Assomption
, behind Progressive Conservative Leader André Asselin, with only 20% of the vote.
Eventually, the incident resulted in the resignation of Premier
René Lévesque himself. In September 1985, a party leadership election
chose Pierre Marc Johnson
, another moderate, as his successor.
However, the PQ lost the 1985 election
and by 1987, the party’s radical wing pressured Johnson into quitting. Radicals were able to get Jacques Parizeau
, one of their own, to take over the leadership of the party.
Members of the Cabinet
are indicated with bold fonts.
Origins
In September 1984, Progressive ConservativeProgressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
politician Brian Mulroney became Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
, with the backing of many Parti Québécois (PQ)
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
supporters. Tensions erupted between the so-called radical supporters of the Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
and the more moderate ones over their leader René Lévesque
René Lévesque
René Lévesque was a reporter, a minister of the government of Quebec, , the founder of the Parti Québécois political party and the 23rd Premier of Quebec...
’s decisions to:
- shift toward a more conciliatory approach with the federal governmentGovernment of CanadaThe Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
over constitutional issues (a policy known as beau risqueBeau risqueIn Quebec politics, le beau risque is a political catch phrase describing the "risk" the Parti Québécois took in asking Quebecers to support Progressive Conservative Brian Mulroney and accept the Constitution Act, 1982...
); - put the promotion of sovereigntyQuebec sovereignty movementThe Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...
on the back burner.
In November 1984, six PQ MNAs
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...
resigned from the Cabinet
Executive Council of Quebec
The Executive Council of Quebec is the cabinet of the government of Quebec, Canada....
. They were soon followed by other legislators who crossed the floor to sit as Independents
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
.
Consequences
The PQ’s majority at the legislature, which had started the term with 80 MNAs, almost completely vanished. Only 60 MNAs belonged to the PQ by the end of the term. On June 3, 1985, the PQ lost a series of four by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
s, managing to finish third in the district of L’Assomption
L'Assomption (provincial electoral district)
L'Assomption is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. Created in 1829 and located in the Lanaudière region, the district includes the municipalities of Saint-Sulpice and L'Assomption and portions of the city of Repentigny.-Members...
, behind Progressive Conservative Leader André Asselin, with only 20% of the vote.
Eventually, the incident resulted in the resignation of Premier
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
René Lévesque himself. In September 1985, a party leadership election
Parti Québécois leadership election, 1985
The Parti Québécois leadership election of 1985 was held to elect a new leader of the Parti Québécois, the main sovereigntist and social democratic political party in Quebec, Canada. It elected Pierre-Marc Johnson at the helm of the party...
chose Pierre Marc Johnson
Pierre-Marc Johnson
Pierre-Marc Johnson, , is a Quebec lawyer, physician and politician. He was the 24th Premier of Quebec from October 3 to December 12, 1985.- Early background :...
, another moderate, as his successor.
However, the PQ lost the 1985 election
Quebec general election, 1985
The Quebec general election of 1985 was held on December 2, 1985, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Quebec Liberal Party, led by former premier Robert Bourassa, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by premier Pierre-Marc Johnson.This election...
and by 1987, the party’s radical wing pressured Johnson into quitting. Radicals were able to get Jacques Parizeau
Jacques Parizeau
Jacques Parizeau, is an economist and noted Quebec sovereignist who was the 26th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from September 26, 1994 to January 29, 1996.-Early life and career:...
, one of their own, to take over the leadership of the party.
Defectors
| MNA | District | Resignation from Cabinet |
Decision to sit as an Independent |
Resignation from Legislature |
Status following 1985 Election |
Pierre de Bellefeuille Pierre de Bellefeuille Pierre de Bellefeuille was a Canadian politician and a two-term Member of the National Assembly of Quebec.-Federal politics:De Bellefeuille ran as a New Democratic Party candidate in the 1974 election in the federal district of Ahuntsic... | Deux-Montagnes Deux-Montagnes (provincial electoral district) Deux-Montagnes is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. It was created in 1853... | n/a | November 20, 1984 | n/a | Defeated as a Parti indépendantiste Parti indépendantiste The Parti indépendantiste was a provincial party which advocated Quebec sovereignty in Québec, Canada in the second half of the 1980s.-Denis Monière:... candidate |
Jules Boucher Jules Boucher Jules Boucher was a Canadian politician and a two-term Member of the National Assembly of Quebec.-Background:He was born on June 8, 1933 in Sayabec, Bas-Saint-Laurent. He became an accountant.-Political career:... | Rivière-du-Loup Rivière-du-Loup (electoral district) Rivière-du-Loup is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. It was originally created in 1930 from a portion of the electoral district of Témiscouata.-Members of the Legislative Assembly:... | n/a | January 28, 1985 | n/a | Did not run for re-election |
Louise Harel Louise Harel Louise Harel is a Québec politician. In 2005 she served as interim leader of the Parti Québécois following the resignation of Bernard Landry. She was also interim leader of the opposition in the National Assembly of Quebec. She represented the riding of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in the Montreal region... | Maisonneuve Maisonneuve (provincial electoral district) Maisonneuve was a provincial electoral district located in the province of Quebec, Canada. Situated in the Montreal region, it was formed in 1912 from parts of Hochelaga... | November 27, 1984 | n/a | n/a | Re-elected as a PQ Parti Québécois The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal... candidate |
Camille Laurin Camille Laurin Camille Laurin was a psychiatrist and Parti Québécois politician in the province of Quebec, Canada. MNA member for the riding of Bourget, he is considered the father of Quebec's language law known informally as "Bill 101".-Biography:Born in Charlemagne, Quebec, Laurin obtained a degree in... | Bourget Bourget (electoral district) Bourget is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The district is located in Montreal. The riding was created in 1960 from a part of Laval... | November 26, 1984 | n/a | January 25, 1985 | Did not run for re-election |
Denis Lazure Denis Lazure Denis Lazure was a Canadian politician and a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 1976 to 1984 and from 1989 to 1996. -Background:... | Bertrand (Montérégie) Marguerite-D'Youville Marguerite-D'Youville is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The municipalities of Boucherville and Sainte-Julie are situated in this district. In the 1995 Quebec referendum it voted 59% for Quebec to separate... | December 4, 1984 | n/a | December 4, 1984 | Did not run for re-election |
Denise Leblanc-Bantey Denise Leblanc-Bantey Denise Leblanc-Bantey, also known as Denise Leblanc, was a Canadian politician and a two-term Member of the National Assembly of Quebec.-Background:She was born on December 15, 1949 in L'Étang-du-Nord, Quebec... | Îles-de-la-Madeleine Îles-de-la-Madeleine Îles-de-la-Madeleine is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. Formed from a part of the former Gaspé riding, Îles-de-la-Madeleine first appeared in the Quebec general election of 1897... | November 26, 1984 | November 27, 1984 | n/a | Did not run for re-election |
Jacques Léonard Jacques Léonard Jacques Léonard is an accountant, educator, and politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He served in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1976 to 1985 and again from 1989 to 2001 and was a cabinet minister in the governments of René Lévesque, Jacques Parizeau, and Lucien Bouchard... | Labelle Labelle (provincial electoral district) Labelle is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The riding was created in 1980 from parts of Laurentides-Labelle and Gatineau. The riding also existed from 1912 to 1973... | November 22, 1984 | November 27, 1984 | May 23, 1985 | Did not run for re-election |
Gilbert Paquette Gilbert Paquette Gilbert Paquette is a researcher at the Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur le téléapprentissage , which he founded in 1992, and a Quebec politician... | Rosemont Rosemont (provincial electoral district) Rosemont is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The district is located in Montreal. Its boundaries are Dickson Street and Lacordaire Boulevard to the east. Sherbrooke Street to the south, the Canadian Pacific Railway and 6th... | November 26, 1984 | February 4, 1985 | n/a | Did not run for re-election |
Jacques Parizeau Jacques Parizeau Jacques Parizeau, is an economist and noted Quebec sovereignist who was the 26th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from September 26, 1994 to January 29, 1996.-Early life and career:... | L’Assomption L'Assomption (provincial electoral district) L'Assomption is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. Created in 1829 and located in the Lanaudière region, the district includes the municipalities of Saint-Sulpice and L'Assomption and portions of the city of Repentigny.-Members... | November 22, 1984 | n/a | November 27, 1984 | Did not run for re-election |
Jérôme Proulx Jérôme Proulx -Member of the legislature:Proulx won a seat to the National Assembly of Quebec in 1966 in the district of Saint-Jean and was a member of the Union Nationale. In 1969 though, he left his party and sat as an Independent to protest against the passage of Bill 63, a controversial language legislation... | Saint-Jean Saint-Jean (provincial electoral district) Saint-Jean is a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec. Located in the Montérégie region south of Montreal, the riding was created in 1853. During the Liberal term under Adelard Godbout, it was part of the riding of Saint-Jean-Napierville between 1939 and 1944... | n/a | November 22, 1984 | n/a | Defeated as a PQ Parti Québécois The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal... candidate |
Members of the Cabinet
Executive Council of Quebec
The Executive Council of Quebec is the cabinet of the government of Quebec, Canada....
are indicated with bold fonts.