The Parti de la Liberté de Choix (; ) was a political party in the
Canadian province
Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...
of
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
. Focused on anglophone rights issues, it ran candidates in provincial elections from 1979 to 1982.
The party should not be confused with the Freedom of Choice Movement, a separate group that also promoted anglophone rights issues in Quebec.
History
Quebec journalist William Johnson wrote in May 1979 that the party had unclear origins and was difficult to research, but that it seemed to have been founded by Armour Forse in either 1978 or 1979. Forse, a dentist originally from
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
, was a vocal opponent of Quebec's
Charter of the French Language
The ''Charter of the French Language'' (, ), also known as Bill 101 (, ), is a law in the Canadian province of Quebec defining French, the language of the majority of the population, as the official language of the provincial government. It is th ...
(aka Bill 101), which he described as a racist law. Forse supported linguistic freedom in education, work, and other spheres of life; as such, he opposed the
Quebec government
The Government of Quebec (, ) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Quebec. The term is typically used to refer to the executive of the day (i.e. ministers of the Crown) and the non-political staff within each ...
's efforts to promote the status the French language.
Johnson wrote that the party seemed to be an extension of Forse's political ambitions and was unlikely to achieve a breakthrough; while it claimed to represent both anglophones and francophones, it was in reality an anglophone party that could not put out proper French translations of its literature. It is not clear if Forse remained involved with the party after its formative period.
A 1985 article in the ''
Ottawa Citizen
The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
History
Established as the Bytown ''Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the ''Ci ...
'' described Freedom of Choice as an "ultra-right anglophone party," noting that its candidate in
Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to:
* Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief
*Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand
Pontiac may also refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality
** Apo ...
during the
1981 provincial election had proposed shifting the region from Quebec to
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
.
William Shaw, a former member of the
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec (, ) is the Legislature, legislative body of the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; ). The lieutenant governor of Que ...
who was focused on anglophone rights issues, led the Freedom of Choice Party in 1985.
Electoral history
David DeJong ran for the National Assembly of Quebec in a 1978
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections.
A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
, as an independent candidate on a "freedom of choice" platform. The actual party seems not to have existed at this time. Forse and DeJong apparently met during the by-election and considered joining forces, but did not do so. It is not known whether DeJong had any subsequent involvement with the party.
The Freedom of Choice Party made its electoral debut in 1979, running candidates in two Quebec by-elections. The candidates appeared on the ballot as "without designation," as their party was not yet registered. Both fared poorly. Freedom of Choice later fielded twelve candidates in the
1981 provincial election and one candidate in a 1982 by-election. It appears to have folded shortly before the
1985 provincial election.
In the late 1980s, former party leader William Shaw became involved with the newly formed
Equality Party, which was also focused on anglophone rights issues.
Candidates
1981 election
Brome—Missisquoi: Blair McIntosh
Blair McIntosh received 289 votes (1.14%), finishing fourth against
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
incumbent
Pierre Paradis. A few years after the election, McIntosh attempted to have a speeding ticket dismissed on the grounds that part of the court summons was written in French only. He argued that his home community of
Lennoxville
Lennoxville () is an ''arrondissement'', or borough, of the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Lennoxville is located at the confluence of the St. Francis and Massawippi Rivers approximately five kilometres south of downtown Sherbrooke.
Lenn ...
was recognized as bilingual under the French Language Charter and hence had an "obligation to provide fundamental services in both languages." The presiding judge disagreed, noting that the language law did not apply to the judicial system and that the ticket was written in both languages.
Robert-Baldwin: Duncan MacDonald
Duncan MacDonald was a candidate in the Robert-Baldwin riding, and received 495 votes (1.43%) and finished third to the Liberal candidate, and was also the Party leader at the time. He took a strong interest in human rights, as in the case he took all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada about being given a French-only traffic ticket.
Verdun: Terry Pye
Terry Pye was a candidate in the Verdun riding, and received 196 votes (0.69%), finishing fourth against the Liberal incumbent. A number of years after the election, he contested a unilingual French language parking meter ticket, ultimately losing the case. Rather than paying the fine he choose the jail time option, and became the first Canadian to serve a jail sentence because of Quebec's language laws.
Pontiac: Stephen Hodgins
Stephen Hodgins was a candidate in the Pontiac riding and received 1793 votes (8.02%) and finished third
Westmount: Allan Singer
Allan Singer was a candidate in the Westmount riding and received 428 votes (1.51%) finishing third.
He was the party Vice-President at the time and an English rights activist.
Notre Dame de Grace: Roopnarine Singh
Roopnarine Singh was a candidate in the N.D.G. riding and received 501 votes (1.65%) finishing fourth
Nelligan: James Donovan Carter
James Donovan Carter was a candidate in the Nelligan riding and received 324 votes (1.03) finishing fifth
Mont-Royal: Winnifred Potter
Winnifred Potter was a candidate in the Mont-Royal riding and received 240 votes (0.89%) finishing fourth
Laurier: Stephen J Smith
Stephen J Smith was a candidate in the Laurier riding and received 253 votes (0.88%) finishing sixth
Argenteuil: Christopher Oulton
Christopher Oulton was a candidate in the Argenteuil riding and received 130 votes (0.47%) finishing fourth
Saint-Louis: Twila Roop
Twila Roop was a candidate in the Saint-Louis riding and received 132 votes (0.58%) finishing fifth
Marquette: Aldo Beccherini
Aldo Beccherini was a candidate in the Marquette riding and received 175 votes (0.67%) finishing fourth
[Elections Quebec Website]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parti de la Liberte de Choix
Provincial political parties in Quebec
Anglophone Quebec people