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Surprising turn of events

Broadcast Date: May 24, 1966

It's being hailed as the political upset of the year. Everyone had predicted another victory for Premier Jean Lesage and the ruling Liberal party. As shown in this CBC Television clip, a confident Lesage tells a crowd of supporters that he is ready to take Quebec to the second stage of progress. But much to the Liberals' disbelief, Daniel Johnson and his conservative Union Nationale party come out on top, winning 56 seats to the Liberal's 50.

The results of the June 5, 1966, election mean six years of Liberal rule are coming to an abrupt end. No one is more surprised than Premier Lesage. Convinced of an easy re-election, Lesage had run the campaign as a one-man show with strong emphasis on his personal legacy. The Liberal loss is seen as a personal blow to Lesage.

Liberal member René Lévesque suggests the defeat was due to his party's failure to address local and regional issues. Rural concerns were largely ignored in favour of big, long-term projects such as nationalizing power companies and improving education and highways.

Surprising turn of events

• Shortly after the 1966 election, René Lévesque left the Liberal party to form what would become the Parti Québécois in 1968. The PQ's main objective was Quebec sovereignty.

• Lévesque began his career in politics as a member of the Liberal party in 1960. He left his job as a popular television journalist on Radio-Canada's Point de Mire.

Surprising turn of events

Medium: Television

Program: CBC Newsmagazine

Broadcast Date: May 24, 1966

Guest(s): Daniel Johnson, Jean Lesage

Host: Norman DePoe

Duration: 3:52

Last updated:
July 17, 2009