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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
Staying the course
Broadcast Date: Nov. 17, 1998
It's being billed as the event of the 1998 election: A head-to-head debate in front of the cameras. Polls show Lucien Bouchard and his ruling Parti Québécois in the lead. The pressure is on for opposition Liberal leader Jean Charest to deliver a knockout punch. But in the end there are no jabs, no breakthroughs and no decisive moments, reports CBC Television. The issues in this election are all too familiar: sovereignty and economy.The only surprise of the night is Mario Dumont's performance. The young leader of the right wing Action Démocratique du Québec party scores big. He takes on both leaders despite having only six per cent of the popular vote and just one seat in the Quebec National Assembly. Dumont ends up with a huge boost in credibility, earning the nickname Super Mario. But to no one's surprise Lucien Bouchard and the PQ are re-elected on Nov. 30. The PQ wins a majority with 76 seats to Liberals' 48. Despite his Super Mario moniker, the Action Démocratique du Québec party merely hangs on to its one seat.
Staying the course
• Jean Charest, who had made a run to succeed Brian Mulroney as the head of the federal Conservative Party but lost to Kim Campbell, was recruited in 1998 to lead Quebec's Liberal party.• Mario Dumont was a founding member of the Action Démocratique du Québec and was voted the party leader in 1994. On Sept. 12, 1994, Dumont led the ADQ into its first election, winning the party's sole seat at age 24.
• Lucien Bouchard first joined the PQ in 1971. Bouchard became a member of Brian Mulroney's cabinet in 1988 but quit the federal Conservative party in 1990 to form the Bloc Québécois. He officially resigned from his position as the leader of the Bloc Québécois to lead the Parti Québécois in 1996.
Staying the course
Medium: Television
Program: The National Magazine
Broadcast Date: Nov. 17, 1998
Guest(s): Chantal Hébert
Host: Brian Stewart
Reporter: Terence McKenna
Duration: 12:00
Last updated:
July 28, 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...
Staying the course.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: July 28, 2009.
[Page consulted on Feb. 15, 2012.]