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Topic spans: 1960 - 2007
Quebec Elections, 1960-2007
Quebec elections are never dull because they are full of colourful characters, intrigue and more than a few surprises. Whether it's the Liberals ushering in the Quiet Revolution with their 1960 win, or the emotional 1976 election of René Lévesque and his separatist Parti Québécois, the voting habits of our belle province guarantee to fascinate.
10 television clips
3 radio clips
It's time for change!
Broadcast Date: June 19, 1960
It's 1960 and Quebec is at the dawn of the Quiet Revolution. A progressive, urban, democratic and modern Quebec is quickly overtaking the old Quebec, characterized as conservative, patronage-oriented, rural and under the thumb of the Roman Catholic Church, reports CBC Television. Jean Lesage and his Liberal party pick up on the winds of change as they take on Premier Antonio Barrett and the ruling Union Nationale party."It's time for a change" is the Liberal slogan. The Union Nationale tries desperately to fight the legacy of corruption and political immorality left behind by its former leader Maurice Duplessis. Duplessis ruled Quebec with an iron fist until his death in September 1959. Lesage's Liberals urge Quebecers to send a strong message to the "Union Scandale," Lesage's nickname for the Union Nationale.
The bitterly fought election, riddled with name-calling, defamation suits and bribery, ends in a historic victory for the Liberal party. On June 22, 1960, the Liberals inch past the Union Nationale, nabbing 51 seats over the UN's 43.
It's time for change!
• The Union Nationale party was formed in 1935. It was the result of a marriage between the Conservative Party of Quebec led by Maurice Duplessis and Paul Gouin's Action Libérale Nationale.• Maurice Duplessis and his Union Nationale won every Quebec election from 1936 to 1959, except the one in 1939.
• The Duplessis period is known as "the dark ages" in Quebec history. His regime was infamous for corruption and incestuous ties with the Roman Catholic Church and big business. Duplessis was the master of vote-fixing. Legend has it that Union Nationale troops would arrive in rural towns armed with whiskey, food and appliances in exchange for votes.
• The 1960 election is seen as the beginning of the Quiet Revolution, the birth of modern Quebec.
It's time for change!
Medium: Television
Program: CBC Newsmagazine
Broadcast Date: June 19, 1960
Guest(s):
Reporter: Norman DePoe
Duration: 8:41
Last updated:
July 17, 2009
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On a cross-Canada train journey in 1967, Jacques Parizeau became an impassioned believer in sovereignty for Quebec. Trained at the London School of Economics, he was working for the Quebec government when he...
It's time for change!.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: July 17, 2009.
[Page consulted on Feb. 15, 2012.]