Parti national populaire
Encyclopedia
The Parti national populaire or PNP (in English
: "Popular National Party" ) was a minor political party
in Quebec
, Canada
that operated in the 1970s.
The PNP was created by a split in the Ralliement créditiste du Québec
after Fabien Roy
was expelled from the party. Roy was one of the two créditiste Members of the National Assembly
(MNAs) that were elected in the 1973 Quebec general election
. It is not clear whether Roy was expelled on January 15, 1974 or November 3, 1975.
On December 14, 1975, Roy teamed up with former Liberal
minister Jérôme Choquette
to form the Parti national populaire under Choquette's leadership. In August 1976, the PNP and the conservative Union Nationale party, led by Rodrigue Biron
, announced the merger of their two parties, but the idea was abandoned by the Union Nationale one month later.
In the November 15, 1976 general elections
, Fabien Roy was the only PNP candidate elected, while Choquette was defeated, placing third in his riding with 14.2% of the vote, behind the Liberal and Parti Québécois
candidates. Roy succeeded Choquette as party leader in March 1977.
Roy was appointed leader of the federal Social Credit Party of Canada
on March 30, 1979, and resigned his National Assembly seat on April 5, 1979.
The PNP ceased its activities in 1980, and its status as an authorized political party was revoked by the Director-General of Elections for Québec on 31 December 1983.
leaked to the media that the UN and the PNP had been holding secret negotiations for several weeks to create a single regrouping of conservative, federalist forces. The negotiations were aimed at developing a new name, policy, party structures and financing. Bellemare had suggested "Union Nationale Populaire". Bellemare told reporters that Jérôme Choquette would serve as parliamentary leader of the new party, and UN leader Rodrigue Biron
would serve as party leader.
Choquette’s PNP movement had failed to catch on, and Biron’s leadership of the UN had not been successful. Choquette was described by the Montreal Gazette as a “leader without a party”, while the UN was described as “a party without a leader”.
The next day, the Montreal Gazette reported that Choquette would be named “interim leader”, responsible for developing the new party’s policy and program, while Biron would be responsible for administrative and organizational issues. Officially, the two leaders would be considered equals, and each would continue to lead his own party until the new party’s leadership convention, scheduled for October 1976, but it had become clear that Choquette had the support of Bellemare. Choquette was described as Quebec’s third most popular political leader in a Montreal Gazette editorial Bellemare was the UN’s sole Member of the National Assembly. The party’s $750,000 election fund was controlled by Mario Beaulieu, a Bellemare loyalist. Bellemare was seen as using Choquette to push Biron out of the UN leadership without getting blood on his own hands.
A dispute between Biron and Choquette emerged quickly. Biron favoured eliminating Bill 22, the language law that established French as the sole official language of Quebec, and required that children whose parents were not educated in English be educated in French. Choquette, on the other hand, had quit the Liberal Cabinet because he wanted stricter enforcement of the education rules. The dispute erupted, however, when Choquette changed his position, and spoke out in favour of allowing parents to have the choice of language of instruction, saying that it would be impossible to regulate parents’ choices. Biron, who favoured applying the rule only to non-Anglophone immigrants, said that Choquette “went too far” and that he would seek a revision to Choquette’s statement. Biron went further, and stated that as he had been elected leader of the UN “with a great majority”, he would continue in that role into the election and past it and that the new party would be called the Union Nationale, indicating that the PNP would be absorbed by the UN, rather than a merger creating a new party.
The merger attempt was called off in September 1976.
caught the PNP by surprise, and it lacked local organization, money and a platform. The party quickly assembled a mainstream platform by drawing heavily from those of other parties, especially the Union Nationale. Choquette presented the party as being a liberal party: “The present government has forgotten the principles of liberalism for which it stands. The new party that I represent becomes the true liberal party, not in name, but in deeds.”
Of the PNP’s candidates, only two won more than 1,000 votes: Fabien Roy who was re-elected with 17,600 (69% of the total) in Beauce Sud, and Choquette, who won only 3,726 votes (14% of the total) in his former riding of Outremont
.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: "Popular National Party" ) was a minor political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that operated in the 1970s.
The PNP was created by a split in the Ralliement créditiste du Québec
Ralliement créditiste du Québec
The Ralliement créditiste du Québec was a provincial political party in Quebec, Canada that operated from 1970 to 1978. It promoted social credit theories of monetary reform, and acted as an outlet for the expression of rural...
after Fabien Roy
Fabien Roy
Fabien Roy was a politician in Quebec, Canada, in the 1970s. Roy was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec and the Canadian House of Commons, and advocated social credit theories of monetary reform.-Background:...
was expelled from the party. Roy was one of the two créditiste Members of the National Assembly
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...
(MNAs) that were elected in the 1973 Quebec general election
Quebec general election, 1973
The Quebec general election of 1973 was held on October 29, 1973 to elect members to National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Robert Bourassa, won re-election, defeating the Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, and the Union Nationale .The Liberals won a...
. It is not clear whether Roy was expelled on January 15, 1974 or November 3, 1975.
On December 14, 1975, Roy teamed up with former Liberal
Parti libéral du Québec
The Quebec Liberal Party is a centre-right political party in Quebec. It has been independent of the federal Liberal Party of Canada since 1955....
minister Jérôme Choquette
Jérôme Choquette
Jérôme Choquette is a lawyer and politician in Quebec, Canada.-Background:Choquette was born in Montreal, Quebec, and studied at the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Academy and Collège Stanislas in Montreal, a Roman Catholic private school and the most elite institution of its kind in Quebec...
to form the Parti national populaire under Choquette's leadership. In August 1976, the PNP and the conservative Union Nationale party, led by Rodrigue Biron
Rodrigue Biron
Rodrigue Biron is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was leader of the Union Nationale political party from 1976 to 1980, when he joined the Parti Québécois.-Background:...
, announced the merger of their two parties, but the idea was abandoned by the Union Nationale one month later.
In the November 15, 1976 general elections
Quebec general election, 1976
The Quebec general election of 1976 was held on November 15, 1976 to elect members to National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled only by the 1960 general election, and caused major repercussions in the rest of Canada...
, Fabien Roy was the only PNP candidate elected, while Choquette was defeated, placing third in his riding with 14.2% of the vote, behind the Liberal and 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...
candidates. Roy succeeded Choquette as party leader in March 1977.
Roy was appointed leader of the federal Social Credit Party of Canada
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
on March 30, 1979, and resigned his National Assembly seat on April 5, 1979.
The PNP ceased its activities in 1980, and its status as an authorized political party was revoked by the Director-General of Elections for Québec on 31 December 1983.
Proposed merger with Union Nationale
On August 3, 1976, UN leader Maurice BellemareMaurice Bellemare
Maurice Bellemare, OC was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was known as Le Vieux Lion de la Politique Québécoise because of his colourful style and his many years of public office...
leaked to the media that the UN and the PNP had been holding secret negotiations for several weeks to create a single regrouping of conservative, federalist forces. The negotiations were aimed at developing a new name, policy, party structures and financing. Bellemare had suggested "Union Nationale Populaire". Bellemare told reporters that Jérôme Choquette would serve as parliamentary leader of the new party, and UN leader Rodrigue Biron
Rodrigue Biron
Rodrigue Biron is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was leader of the Union Nationale political party from 1976 to 1980, when he joined the Parti Québécois.-Background:...
would serve as party leader.
Choquette’s PNP movement had failed to catch on, and Biron’s leadership of the UN had not been successful. Choquette was described by the Montreal Gazette as a “leader without a party”, while the UN was described as “a party without a leader”.
The next day, the Montreal Gazette reported that Choquette would be named “interim leader”, responsible for developing the new party’s policy and program, while Biron would be responsible for administrative and organizational issues. Officially, the two leaders would be considered equals, and each would continue to lead his own party until the new party’s leadership convention, scheduled for October 1976, but it had become clear that Choquette had the support of Bellemare. Choquette was described as Quebec’s third most popular political leader in a Montreal Gazette editorial Bellemare was the UN’s sole Member of the National Assembly. The party’s $750,000 election fund was controlled by Mario Beaulieu, a Bellemare loyalist. Bellemare was seen as using Choquette to push Biron out of the UN leadership without getting blood on his own hands.
A dispute between Biron and Choquette emerged quickly. Biron favoured eliminating Bill 22, the language law that established French as the sole official language of Quebec, and required that children whose parents were not educated in English be educated in French. Choquette, on the other hand, had quit the Liberal Cabinet because he wanted stricter enforcement of the education rules. The dispute erupted, however, when Choquette changed his position, and spoke out in favour of allowing parents to have the choice of language of instruction, saying that it would be impossible to regulate parents’ choices. Biron, who favoured applying the rule only to non-Anglophone immigrants, said that Choquette “went too far” and that he would seek a revision to Choquette’s statement. Biron went further, and stated that as he had been elected leader of the UN “with a great majority”, he would continue in that role into the election and past it and that the new party would be called the Union Nationale, indicating that the PNP would be absorbed by the UN, rather than a merger creating a new party.
The merger attempt was called off in September 1976.
1976 election
The 1976 electionQuebec general election, 1976
The Quebec general election of 1976 was held on November 15, 1976 to elect members to National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled only by the 1960 general election, and caused major repercussions in the rest of Canada...
caught the PNP by surprise, and it lacked local organization, money and a platform. The party quickly assembled a mainstream platform by drawing heavily from those of other parties, especially the Union Nationale. Choquette presented the party as being a liberal party: “The present government has forgotten the principles of liberalism for which it stands. The new party that I represent becomes the true liberal party, not in name, but in deeds.”
Of the PNP’s candidates, only two won more than 1,000 votes: Fabien Roy who was re-elected with 17,600 (69% of the total) in Beauce Sud, and Choquette, who won only 3,726 votes (14% of the total) in his former riding of Outremont
Outremont (provincial electoral district)
Outremont is a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada. Located in central Montreal, the riding was created in 1965. Previously, it was part of the riding of Montreal-Outremont that existed from 1939 to 1965...
.
Leaders
- Jérôme ChoquetteJérôme ChoquetteJérôme Choquette is a lawyer and politician in Quebec, Canada.-Background:Choquette was born in Montreal, Quebec, and studied at the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Academy and Collège Stanislas in Montreal, a Roman Catholic private school and the most elite institution of its kind in Quebec...
- December 14, 1975 to March 1977 - Fabien RoyFabien RoyFabien Roy was a politician in Quebec, Canada, in the 1970s. Roy was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec and the Canadian House of Commons, and advocated social credit theories of monetary reform.-Background:...
- March 1977 - April 5, 1979
Election results
| General election | # of candidates | # of seats won | % of popular vote |
| 1976 | 36 | 1 | 0.92% |
See also
- Ralliement créditiste du QuébecRalliement créditiste du QuébecThe Ralliement créditiste du Québec was a provincial political party in Quebec, Canada that operated from 1970 to 1978. It promoted social credit theories of monetary reform, and acted as an outlet for the expression of rural...
- Politics of QuebecPolitics of QuebecThe politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Quebec City, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside.The...
- List of Quebec general elections
- List of Quebec premiers
- List of Quebec leaders of the Opposition
- National Assembly of QuebecNational Assembly of QuebecThe 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...
- Timeline of Quebec historyTimeline of Quebec historyThis article presents a detailed timeline of Quebec history. Events taking place outside Quebec, for example in English Canada, the United States, Britain or France, may be included when they are considered to have had a significant impact on Quebec's history....
- Political parties in Quebec