The Parti nationaliste du Québec was a fringe
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
-based federal political party in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, that advocated
sovereignty of Quebec and was founded by
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois (; ; PQ) is a sovereignist and social democratic provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. The PQ advocates national sovereignty for Quebec involving independence of the province of Quebec from Canada and establishin ...
(PQ) supporters. Its primary goal was to represent Quebec's interests in Ottawa and serve as a federal wing for the PQ.
Origins
For decades, the
Social Credit Party's Quebec wing, the
Ralliement créditiste
Historically in Quebec, Canada, there were a number of political parties that were part of the Canadian social credit movement. There were various parties at different times with different names at the provincial level, all broadly following the s ...
, attracted many
Quebec nationalists
Quebec nationalism or Québécois nationalism is a feeling and a political doctrine that prioritizes cultural belonging to, the defence of the interests of, and the recognition of the political legitimacy of the Québécois nation. It has been ...
as a party that could represent Quebec's interests in the
House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Common ...
. When Créditistes were wiped off the electoral map in
1980 federal election, the political situation seemed favourable for the growth of the Parti nationaliste.
The Parti nationaliste was a successor to the
Union Populaire, a party that had little success in the
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
and
1980 federal elections.
Beau risque
Marcel Léger
Marcel Léger (June 8, 1930 – February 5, 1993) was a Canadian politician, and a supporter of Quebec sovereignty. He also founded the Canadian polling firm that became Léger Marketing.
Background
Léger was born in Montreal. He is the fath ...
,
Marcel Léger, Assemblée nationale du Québec
who had been the PQ Member of the provincial legislature for the district of LaFontaine
LaFontaine is a provincial electoral district in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. It consists of the neighbourhood of Rivière-des-Prairies in the borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Tr ...
since 1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
became the party's first leader on September 14, 1983. He was a former Minister of the Environment who had been dropped from the Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
in 1982.
In the aftermath of the 1982 Patriation of the Constitution by the federal government
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
, PQ leader René Lévesque
René Lévesque (; August 24, 1922 – November 1, 1987) was a Québécois politician and journalist who served as the 23rd premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985. He was the first Québécois political leader since Confederation to attempt ...
adopted the beau risque
In Quebec politics, ''le beau risque'' (, ''the noble risk'' or ''the good risk'') is a political catch phrase describing the "risk" the Parti Québécois (PQ or "''péquistes''") took in asking Quebecers to support federal Progressive Conservativ ...
strategy and refused to give his blessing to Léger's efforts to establish the Parti nationaliste. Instead, Lévesque backed Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993.
Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political sci ...
's pledge to have Quebec integrate the Canadian constitution in honour and dignity.
Léger resigned as leader on May 17, 1984, and was succeeded by Denis Monière, a Professor of Political Science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
who later founded Parti indépendantiste (1985)
The Parti indépendantiste (English: Independentist Party) was a provincial party which advocated Quebec sovereignty in Québec, Canada in the second half of the 1980s.
Denis Monière
Founded by Denis Monière in 1985, the party was establishe ...
and is a founding member of Option nationale (2011-).
1984 election
The party ran 74 candidates in the 1984 federal election. All of them ran in Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
districts and were defeated, including interim leader Denis Monière, who ran in the district of Duvernay.
The party conducted a very modest campaign, lacking financial and human resources. Most PQ supporters voted for the Progressive Conservative Party which won 58 out of Quebec's 75 districts and Mulroney became Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
.
Decline
During the months that followed the 1984 defeat, the PQ dealt with the worst crisis of its existence. Five cabinet members, including Minister of Finance Jacques Parizeau
Jacques Parizeau (; August 9, 1930June 1, 2015) was a Canadian politician and Québécois economist who was a noted Quebec sovereigntist and the 26th premier of Quebec from September 26, 1994, to January 29, 1996.
Early life and career
Pariz ...
, resigned. The PQ lost the 1985 provincial election. The PQ's misfortunes distracted the Parti nationaliste's supporters. It left them with little time available for federal politics.
Monière went on to help found the Parti indépendantiste
Parti may refer to:
*Parti (surname), a Hungarian surname, and a list of people with the name
* ''Parti'' (architecture), the organizing concepts behind an architect's design
*
*, a lake in Russia
See also
*Partie (disambiguation)
*Party (disambi ...
in 1985. The Parti indépendantiste was a Quebec provincial party that aimed to attract more radical supporters of the PQ who were disappointed with the beau risque
In Quebec politics, ''le beau risque'' (, ''the noble risk'' or ''the good risk'') is a political catch phrase describing the "risk" the Parti Québécois (PQ or "''péquistes''") took in asking Quebecers to support federal Progressive Conservativ ...
approach.
The Parti nationaliste unsuccessfully ran a candidate in the September 29, 1986 by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
in the district of Saint-Maurice. It ceased to exist soon after.
Legacy
The Parti nationaliste may have provided the groundwork for the subsequent success of the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois (BQ; , "Québécois people, Quebecer Voting bloc, Bloc") is a list of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty movement, Que ...
(BQ) in federal politics. In 1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, 54 out of the BQ's 75 candidates were elected. Three of them, Antoine Dubé
Antoine Dubé (born 15 May 1947) was a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1993 to 2003. Born in Sainte-Rita, Quebec, Dubé has worked in administration and recreation.
In 1984, he unsuccessfully sought a seat in federal parliament wi ...
, Réal Ménard
Réal Ménard (born May 13, 1962) is a Canadian politician, who was a Bloc Québécois member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1993 to 2009. He was the second Canadian member of Parliament to come out as gay.
Ménard is a political scien ...
and Yves Rocheleau
Yves Rocheleau (born 31 October 1944) was a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1993 to 2004. He is a consultant by career, including government work.
Born in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, Rocheleau was elected in the Trois-Rivièr ...
, had run under the Parti nationaliste label nine years earlier.
See also
*List of political parties in Canada
This article lists political parties in Canada.
Federal parties
In contrast with the political party systems of many nations, Canadian parties at the federal level are often only loosely connected with parties at the provincial level, despite ha ...
*Secessionist movements of Canada
There have been various movements within Canada for secession.
List
This list is composed of both historical and active movements for secession or autonomy.
;Secessionist movements
Alberta
* Proposed state: Alberta or part as Western Canada
...
Footnotes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parti Nationaliste Du Quebec
Federal political parties in Canada
Defunct political parties in Canada
Defunct secessionist organizations in Canada
Political parties established in 1983
1983 establishments in Quebec