Quebec general election, 1970
Encyclopedia
The Quebec general election of 1970 was held on April 29, 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly
of Quebec
, Canada
. The former Legislative Assembly had been renamed the "National Assembly" in 1968. The Quebec Liberal Party, led by Robert Bourassa
, defeated the incumbent Union Nationale, led by Jean-Jacques Bertrand
.
The Union Nationale, which had governed Quebec through most of the 1940s and 1950s, never held power again.
This election marked the first appearance by a new party, the sovereignist Parti Québécois
, led by former Liberal cabinet minister René Lévesque
. The PQ won a modest seven seats, although Lévesque was defeated in his own riding. The PQ would later win over many of the Union Nationale's nationalist supporters, contributing to that party's demise.
Only a few months after the election, Quebec faced a severe test with the October Crisis
, in which Liberal cabinet minister Pierre Laporte
was kidnapped and assassinated by the Front de libération du Québec
, a violent pro-independence group.
Note:
* Party did not nominate candidates in the previous election.
1 including results of Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale
and Ralliement national
from previous election.
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...
of 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...
. The former Legislative Assembly had been renamed the "National Assembly" in 1968. The Quebec Liberal Party, led by Robert Bourassa
Robert Bourassa
Jean-Robert Bourassa, was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 22nd Premier of Quebec in two different mandates, first from May 12, 1970, to November 25, 1976, and then from December 12, 1985, to January 11, 1994, serving a total of just under 15 years as Provincial Premier.-Early...
, defeated the incumbent Union Nationale, led by Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Jean-Jacques Bertrand was the 21st Premier of Quebec, Canada, from October 2, 1968 to May 12, 1970. He led the Union Nationale party.-Member of the legislature:...
.
The Union Nationale, which had governed Quebec through most of the 1940s and 1950s, never held power again.
This election marked the first appearance by a new party, the sovereignist 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...
, led by former Liberal cabinet minister 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...
. The PQ won a modest seven seats, although Lévesque was defeated in his own riding. The PQ would later win over many of the Union Nationale's nationalist supporters, contributing to that party's demise.
Only a few months after the election, Quebec faced a severe test with the October Crisis
October Crisis
The October Crisis was a series of events triggered by two kidnappings of government officials by members of the Front de libération du Québec during October 1970 in the province of Quebec, mainly in the Montreal metropolitan area.The circumstances ultimately culminated in the only peacetime use...
, in which Liberal cabinet minister Pierre Laporte
Pierre Laporte
Pierre Laporte was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician who was the Deputy Premier and Minister of Labour of the province of Quebec before being kidnapped and killed by members of the group Front de libération du Québec during the October Crisis. Mr...
was kidnapped and assassinated by the Front de libération du Québec
Front de libération du Québec
The Front de libération du Québec was a left-wing Quebecois nationalist and Marxist-Leninist paramilitary group in Quebec, Canada. It was active between 1963 and 1970, and was regarded as a terrorist organization for its violent methods of action...
, a violent pro-independence group.
Results
| Party | Party leader | Seats | Popular vote | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 Quebec general election, 1966 The Quebec general election of 1966 was held on June 5, 1966, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The Union Nationale , led by Daniel Johnson, Sr, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Lesage.... |
Elected | % Change | # | % | % Change |
Liberal | Robert Bourassa Robert Bourassa Jean-Robert Bourassa, was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 22nd Premier of Quebec in two different mandates, first from May 12, 1970, to November 25, 1976, and then from December 12, 1985, to January 11, 1994, serving a total of just under 15 years as Provincial Premier.-Early... |
50 | 72 | +44.0% | 1,304,341 | 45.40% | −1.9% |
Union Nationale | Jean-Jacques Bertrand Jean-Jacques Bertrand Jean-Jacques Bertrand was the 21st Premier of Quebec, Canada, from October 2, 1968 to May 12, 1970. He led the Union Nationale party.-Member of the legislature:... |
56 | 17 | -69.6% | 564,544 | 19.65% | -21.2% |
Ralliement creditiste 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... |
Camil Samson Camil Samson Camil Samson was a politician in Quebec, Canada, Member of the National Assembly of Quebec , and leader of the Ralliement créditiste du Québec and other political parties.-Background:... |
* | 12 | * | 321,370 | 11.19% | * |
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... |
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... |
* | 7 | * | 662,404 | 23.06% | * |
Other1 | 2 | - | -100% | 20,311 | 0.70% | −11.2% | |
| Total | 108 | 108 | - | 2,872,970 | 100% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note:
1 including results of Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale
Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale
The Rassemblement pour l'Indépendance Nationale was a political organization dedicated to the promotion of Quebec national independence from Canada.-History:...
and Ralliement national
Ralliement national
Ralliement national was a political party that advocated the political independence of Quebec from Canada in the 1960s.It was led by former créditiste Gilles Grégoire...
from previous election.
See also
- List of Quebec premiers
- 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...
- 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....
- List of Quebec political parties
- 29th National Assembly of Quebec29th National Assembly of QuebecThe 29th National Assembly of Quebec is the provincial legislature in Quebec, Canada that existed from April 29, 1970 to October 29, 1973. The Quebec Liberal Party led by Robert Bourassa was the governing party after defeating the Union Nationale in the elections.-Seats per political party:* After...