Parti Quebecois

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Parti Québécois (PQ), provincial political party committed to the independence of Quebec. Founded in 1968, it soon became a force in provincial elections. In 1976, led by René Lévesque , it captured control of the provincial assembly. Among its first acts was the passage of Bill 101, controversial legislation that made French the official language of Quebec and prohibited the use of English on signs and in most commercial transactions. It also introduced much social legislation, such as no-fault auto insurance legislation. In May, 1980, voters in the long-awaited provincial referendum rejected the proposition that Quebec should proceed to negotiate for its independence. Despite this, the party won the 1981 provincial elections. Internal dissension over the result of the 1980 referendum led to a weakening of the party. Lévesque resigned as party leader in 1985, and the PQ was defeated in provincial elections later that year. Subsequent party leaders Pierre-Marc Johnson and Jacques Parizeau struggled to return the PQ to its earlier success. In 1994 the party returned to power, and Parizeau became Quebec's premier. He resigned as premier and party leader, however, after Quebec voters narrowly rejected independence in a PQ-sponsored referendum in 1995; Lucien Bouchard succeeded him. The PQ remained in power after the 1998 provincial elections. Bouchard resigned as party leader and premier in 2001, and Bernard Landry succeeded him, serving as premier until the PQ's loss at the polls in 2003. André Boisclair succeed Landry as party leader in 2005. The PQ placed third in 2007 provincial elections, behind the Liberals and the conservative Action Démocratique, a party that called for autonomy for Quebec. Boisclair subsequently resigned as PQ leader; Pauline Marois succeeded him. Under Marois the PQ dropped its vow to hold a new referendum on independence soon after regaining control of the provincial government. In 2008 the PQ again lost to the Liberals but placed second.

Parti Québecois (PQ) (Canada) A political party founded by Lévesque in 1968 which united various separatist movements to form a coherent strategy for gaining the independence of the largely French-speaking province of Quebec from the rest of Canada. Since the majority of Quebeckers were against a severance of ties with Canada, it developed the idea of ‘sovereignty-association’, a vague plan whereby Quebec would become a sovereign state, but would retain close links with Canada, including a common currency. Its support grew quickly, so that in 1976 it won the provincial elections in Quebec. In a 1980 referendum, however, 60 per cent voted against sovereignty. The party was subsequently weakened and divided about whether to pursue pragmatic government or continue to push for independence. Hence, it lost power to the Liberal Party in 1984, and did not regain power until under Jacques Parizeau (b. 1930) in 1994, fuelled by the success of the Bloc Québecois (BQ) the previous year. It decided to hold another referendum on the sovereignty of Quebec in 1995, which it narrowly lost. To increase popular support for sovereignty, Parizeau gave way to the more charismatic Bouchard in early 1996. Under his leadership, the PQ turned its attention increasingly to the Province's economic problems. As Québec was one of the net recipients of federal funds, fostering economic growth was considered crucial in furthering support for independence. The goal of economic recovery, however, has forced the PQ to take more conciliatory attitudes towards the Province's pro-federalist Anglophone business community. Economic issues also pushed the question of independence into the background, causing a further decline in the PQ's popularity. This was not halted by Bouchard' more radical successor from 2001, Bernard Landry. In the 2003 Provincial elections, the PQ gained only 45 out of 125 seats in the Provincial assembly.

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