The Parti indépendantiste (, PI; ) was a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

promoting the

independence of Quebec The Quebec sovereignty movement (French: ''mouvement souverainiste du Québec'', ) is a political movement advocating for Quebec's independence from Canada. Proponents argue that Quebecers form a distinct nation with a unique culture, language, ...

from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

History

The party was founded in 2007 by Éric Tremblay and Richard Gervais, in the aftermath of the

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 establishi ...

's defeat in the 2007 Quebec election. It was registered as an official political party by the

Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

on October 18, 2007. Candidates ran in three

by-elections 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 ...

in Bourget,

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

, and

Pointe-aux-Trembles Pointe-aux-Trembles () was a municipality, founded in 1674, that was annexed by Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1982. This was the last city to be merged into Montreal until the 2002 municipal reorganization. On January 1, 2002 this neighbourhood ...

held on May 12, 2008. Party founder Richard Gervais, running in Bourget, received 376 votes (2.33%), finishing sixth out of six candidates. In the December 2008 provincial election, the party nominated 19 candidates, who won a total of 4,227 votes, or 0.13% of the provincial total. On November 24, 2011 at Université du Québec à Montréal, a debate between independentist parties included the

, Quebec solidaire and

Option nationale Option Nationale (), registered as Option nationale – Pour l'indépendance du Québec (National Option – For the Independence of Quebec), was a centre-left Quebec nationalism, nationalist List of political parties in Quebec, political party in ...

, but excluded PI. In the 2012 provincial election, the party nominated ten candidates, who won a total of 1,244 votes, or 0.03% of the provincial total. In the 2014 provincial election, the party nominated one candidate, party leader Michel Lepage, who won 126 votes in Borduas riding. In 2017, The party ran in the Gouin provincial by-election with Alexandre Cormier-Denis as its candidate. During that by election The party had a poster campaign poster where it had two women, one with a toque and another one with a

niqab A niqāb, niqab, or niqaab (; ), also known as a ruband () or rubandah (), is a long garment worn by some Muslim women in order to cover their entire body and face, excluding their eyes. It is an interpretation in Islam of the concept of ...

and asks people to “choose their Quebec.” Some people called the poster racist. Alexandre Cormier-Denis was 7th placed out of 13 in the by election.

Beliefs

According to former leader Éric Tremblay, the

has given up the will to actively seek the sovereignty of Quebec. Tremblay considers that, if given a majority of seats at 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 ...

, the Parti indépendantiste would have clear mandate to achieve sovereignty, even if it receives less than 50% of the popular vote. Tremblay did not hide his intention to put an end to all public financing of English-language schools and hospitals come his election, even though he would offer unilingual English-speakers health care in their language. The party suggests a reduction of more than half of the number of immigrants admitted, which would be reduced to 20,000, and the selection of immigrants based on the knowledge of French.

Leadership and support

Éric Tremblay was the leader from 2008 to 2011, and the leader since 2011 has been Michel Lepage. According to the

, donations were $33792 in 2008 and then fell sharply in 2009 and 2010. Prominent supporters have included: * Author Victor-Lévy Beaulieu, a disillusioned Parti Québécois supporter, voted for the

Action démocratique du Québec The (, ), commonly referred to as the , was a right-wing populist and conservative provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. On the sovereignty question, it defined itself as autonomist; it had support from nationalists and federalists. Its ...

(ADQ) in protest in the 2007 Quebec election, but has become disappointed with the party. He announced on April 15, 2008 his intention to run for the Parti Indépendantiste in the district of

Rivière-du-Loup Rivière-du-Loup (; 2021 population 20,118) is a small city (Quebec), city on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. The city is the seat for the Rivière-du-Loup Regional County Municipality and the Judicial districts of Quebec ...

against ADQ leader

Mario Dumont Mario Dumont (born May 19, 1970) is a Canadian television personality and former politician in Quebec, Canada. He was a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec (MNA), and the leader of the Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ), from 1994 to 2 ...

. * Former Bloc Québécois Member of Parliament

Ghislain Lebel Ghislain Lebel (February 17, 1946 – January 1, 2023) was a Quebec politician and notary. Background Ghislain Lebel has been an activist in the Quebec independence movement since his teenage years, having been part of the Rassemblement pour ...

announced on April 30, 2008 that he would be a Parti indépendantiste candidate. * Comedian Ghislain Taschereau left the party and became a member of the defunct

(ON) party. * Alexandre Cormier-Denis, candidate for the party in the 2017 Gouin provincial by-election and the founding President of Horizon Québec Actuel.

Links to neo-Nazis

The Parti indépendantiste has been criticised for having links with

neo-Nazis Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), to att ...

. For example, a

neo-Nazi skinhead White power skinheads, also known as racist skinheads and neo-Nazi skinheads, are members of a neo-Nazi, music of white skin head white supremacist and antisemitic offshoot of the skinhead subculture. Many of them are affiliated with white natio ...

was the president of the executive committee for the region of Quebec and a member of the neo-Nazi group

Blood & Honour Blood & Honour is a Neo-Nazism, neo-Nazi music promotion network and right-wing extremist political group founded in the United Kingdom by Ian Stuart Donaldson in 1987. It is composed of White nationalism, white nationalists and has links to C ...

is the treasurer. The Parti Indépendantiste was present at a racist protest organized at Montreal in November 2011 with other well-known neo-Nazi groups. The party has been compared to the French National Front because it recruited a fascist. An article published in the newspaper ''Le Soleil'' accused the Parti Indépendantiste of being "authentic reactionary racist", and another article by the same newspaper reported that a neo-Nazi was in the hierarchy of the party.Le Solei
«Ex-administrateur lié au néonazisme : le Parti Indépendantiste inconfortable»
/ref>

Election results

References

External links

Official party website

La Politique québécoise sur le Web
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parti independantiste Canadian far-right political movements Neo-Nazism in Canada Provincial political parties in Quebec Political parties established in 2007 Secessionist organizations in Canada Racism in Quebec