Parti Québécois Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
| Current Leader: | Bernard Landry |
| Founded: | October 11, 1968 |
| Headquarters: | 1200 Papineau Avenue, bureau 150 Montreal, Quebec H2K 4R5(514) 526-0020 & 1-800-363-9531info@pq.org |
| Colours: | Blue (also White & Red) |
| Political ideology: | Social Democrat, Nationalist &
Independentist |
The Parti Québécois or PQ is a political party which advocates national independence for Quebec and social democracy; Quebec is a province of the Canadian federation since 1867. Members and supporters of the PQ are sometimes called Péquistes (pronounced [peˈkists]--the word is derived from the French pronunciation of the party's initials).
| Table of contents |
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2 Brother party 3 Leaders of the Parti Québécois 4 Elections and slogans 5 Election results 6 See also 7 External links |
The PQ is the result of the 1968 merger between René Lévesque's moderate Mouvement souveraineté-association and the Ralliement national. Following its creation, the radical Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale held a general assembly which voted its dissolution. Its former members were invited to join the new Parti Québécois.
Its primary goals were and still are to obtain the complete political, economic and social independence for the Quebec political nation. In the 1976 provincial election, the Parti Québécois was elected to form the government of Quebec with René Lévesque as its leader. This was cause for celebration among many Quebecers, but resulted in panic and a mass exodus among many of the province's anglophone workers and business people.
The first PQ government, elected in 1976, was known as the "republic of teachers" for its high number of candidates teaching at the university level. The PQ was the first government to recognize the First Peoples' right to self-determination. The PQ passed laws on public consultations and the financing of political parties, which insured equal financing of political parties and limited contributions by individuals to $3000. However, the most important legacy of the PQ is the Charter of the French Language (the so-called Bill 101), which made French the sole official language of Quebec while officially guaranteeing the rights of the English-speaking community.
The Parti Québécois has initiated two referendums to begin negotiation for independence. The 1980 Quebec referendum on sovereignty association was rejected by 60 per cent of voters. With the failure of the Charlottetown Accord and the Meech Lake Accord, the question of Quebec's status remained unresolved and the PQ called the 1995 Quebec referendum proposing negotiations on sovereignty. It was rejected by a slim margin, less than one per cent. On the night of the defeat Premier Jacques Parizeau stated that the loss was caused by "money and the ethnic vote" as well as by the divided votes amongst francophones. Parizeau resigned the next day (as he planned beforehand in case of a defeat).
Lucien Bouchard, founder of the Bloc Québécois, succeeded Parizeau as PQ leader but chose not to call another referendum due to the absence of "winning conditions". Bouchard's government then engaged in massive cuts in social programs in order to support the PQ's new anti-deficit stance. The PQ won another term in 1998 and stayed the course. Bouchard resigned in 2001 and two years later his successor Bernard Landry, former Finance minister, lost the 2003 Quebec election to Jean Charest's Quebec Liberal Party.
Summer and fall 2004 are difficult seasons for Bernard Landry's leadership which is being widely contested.Landry is hoping to win the confidence vote during the June 2005 convention.
The Bloc Québécois is a Canadian federal party founded in 1990 by future PQ leader Lucien Bouchard. It holds close ties to the Parti Québécois and shares its two principal objectives: sovereignty and social democracy. Further examples of this parenthood include the sharing of political candidates, the parties backing each other during election campaigns and a similar militant and voter base. Prominent members of either party often attend and speak at both organizations' public events. The current Bloc leader, Gilles Duceppe, is also the son of Jean Duceppe, an famous Quebec actor that helped found the PQ and the New Democratic Party branch in Quebec (now separated from the federal NDP and merged in the Union des Forces Progressistes).
Following the 2004 federal elections, the Bloc Québécois is is the third largest party in the Canadian House of Commons. It may play a significant role in this Parliament because the governing Liberals do not have a majority, and are one vote short of a majority even if they secure the support of the New Democratic Party. The Liberals will have to gain the support of at least some members of the Conservative caucus or the BQ caucus.
History
Brother party
Leaders of the Parti Québécois
Elections and slogans
Election results
| General election | # of candidates | # of seats won | % of popular vote |
| 1970 | 108 | 7 | 23.06% |
| 1973 | 110 | 6 | 30.22% |
| 1976 | 110 | 71 | 41.37% |
| 1981 | 122 | 80 | 49.26% |
| 1985 | 122 | 26 | 38.69% |
| 1989 | 125 | 29 | 40.16% |
| 1994 | 125 | 77 | 44.75% |
| 1998 | 124 | 76 | 42.87% |
| 2003 | 125 | 45 | 33.24% |
This is an Article on Parti Québécois. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Parti Québécois See also
External links