Political History of Quebec

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December

December 1, 1981: The National Assembly adopts a motion by which it expresses its discord about the constitutional agreement arisen during the "Night of the long knives" (November 4-5, 1981). Both party Leaders in the House, René Lévesque (PQ) and Claude Ryan (LIB), vote in favour of the motion.
December 1, 1974: Armand Bois (CS), former MNA and Leader of the Ralliement créditiste. announce the creation of the Parti réformateur (Reforming Party).
December 1, 1897: Victor Gladu (LIB), MLA for Yamaska, dies in office.
December 2, 1985: 33^th General Election to the National Assembly of Quebec:
- Parti libéral du Québec (Robert Bourassa): 99 seats;
- Parti québécois (Pierre Marc Johnson): 23 seats.
(more...)
December 2, 1881: 5^th General Election to the National Assembly of Quebec:
- Parti conservateur (Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau) and Independent Conservatives: 50 seats;
- Parti libéral (Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière): 15 seats.
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December 3, 1993: Robert Libman (EP), MNA for D'Arcy-McGee and former Leader of the Equality Party, announces that he leaves the parliamentary group of the Equality Party in order to sit as independent MNA.
December 3, 1929: Joseph-Hugues Fortier (LIB), MLA for Beauce, resigns as Member of the Legislative Assembly following his appointment as judge.
December 4, 1984: Denis Lazure (PQ), MNA for Bertrand and Minister of the Relations with the Citizens, resigns as Member of the National Assembly and Minister.
December 4, 1981: (December 4-6, 1981 and Feruary 13-14, 1982) 8^th National Covention of the Parti québécois. The party adopts a resolution according to which a government of the Parti québécois will have to engage the process of accession to independence on the basis of a majority of seats obtained in a forthcoming electoral victory. This orientation will be rejected by the members of the Party in an internal referendum (or "renérendum") held at the instigation of Rene Lévesque. The Convention will continue in February 1982.
December 4, 1968: By-elections in Bagot and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce; Jean-Guy Cardinal (UN) and William Tetley (LIB) are elected.
December 4, 1940: Alexis Bouthillier (LIB), MLA for Saint-Jean-Napierville, dies in office.
December 4, 1889: By-election in Rimouski; Auguste Tessier (LIB) is elected.
December 5, 1962: Marie-Claire Kirkland (LIB), MLA for Jacques-Cartier, becomes the first woman to be appointed as a member of the Cabinet.
December 5, 1905: Robert Jamieson Leslie (LIB), MLA for Îles-de-la-Madeleine, dies in office in the shipwreck of the "Lunenburg".
December 6, 2002: The Bloc équité sociale losses the status of authorized political party.
December 6, 1994: The Prime Minister of Quebec, Jacques Parizeau (PQ), presents to the National Assembly the "Avant-projet de loi sur la souveraineté du Québec" (Draft bill respecting the sovereignty of Quebec).
December 6, 1983: By-elections in Jonquière and Mégantic-Compton; Aline Saint-Amand (LIB) and Madeleine Bélanger (LIB) are elected.
December 6, 1909: By-election in Kamouraska; Louis-Auguste Dupuis (LIB) is elected by acclamation.
December 6, 1879: By-election in Gaspé; Edmund J. Flynn (CON), Commissionneer of the Crown's Lands in Chapleau's Cabinet, is elected.
December 6, 1847: Issuing of the writs of the 3^rd General Election to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada.
December 7, 2000: The National Assembly of Quebec adopts the "Loi sur l'exercice des droits fondamentaux et des prérogatives du peuple québécois et de l'État du Québec" (An Act respecting the exercise of the fundamental rights and prerogatives of the Québec people and the Québec State (reprint)). This law is Quebec's answer to the "Clarity Act" adopted by the federal Parliament in June 2000.
December 7, 1982: Denis de Belleval (PQ), MNA for Charlesbourg and former minister in the Lévesque Cabinet, resigns as Member of the National Assembly.
December 7, 1948: By-election in Brome; Charles James Warwick Fox (UN) is elected by acclamation.
December 7, 1942: Henri-Pascal Panet (LIB), MLA for Rouville, dies in office.
December 7, 1900: 10^th General Election to the National Assembly of Quebec:
- Parti libéral (Simon-Napoléon Parent): 67 seats;
- Parti conservateur (Louis-Philippe Pelletier): 7 seats.
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December 7, 1898: Louis-Félix Pinault (LIB), MLA for Matane, resigns as Member of the Legislative assembly following his appointment as Deputy Minister in the federal government.
December 7, 1888: Louis-Napoléon Larochelle (CON), MLA for Dorchester, resigns as Member of the Legislative assembly following his appointment as Legislative Councillor.
December 8, 1995: Le député d'Iberville, Richard Le Hir (PQ), announces that he leaves the parliamentary group of the Parti québécois in order to sit as independent MNA.
December 8, 1986: The Parti des travailleurs du Québec obtains officially once again the status of authorized political party it had lost on November, 1985.
December 8, 1847: Formation of the Sherwood Cabinet (TORY) in the Province of Canada.
December 9, 1996: By-election in Pointe-aux-Trembles; Nicole Léger (PQ) is elected.
December 9, 1993: The Parti de la souveraineté du Québec obtains officially the status of authorized political party.
December 9, 1929: By-election in Beauce; Joseph-Édouard Fortin (LIB) is elected by acclamation.
December 9, 1908: Amédée Robitaille (LIB), MLA for Québec Centre, resigns as Member of the Legislative Assembly following his appointment as protonotary.
December 9, 1895: The Legislative Assembly passes an act which stipulates that the Îles-de-la-Madeleine (Magdalen Islands) form a riding on its own, no matter how many electors live in these islands.
December 10, 1955: Antoine Marcotte (UN), MLA for Roberval, dies in office.
December 10, 1872: Joseph-Édouard Cauchon (CON), MLA for Montmorency, resigns as Member of the Legislative Assembly following the "scandale de Beauport" (Beauport Scandal). Cauchon, as owner of the asylum of Beauport, had signed a contract with the Government of Quebec whereas he was a MLA.
December 12, 2005: By-elections in Outremont and Verchères; Raymond Bachand (LIB) and Stéphane Bergeron (PQ) are elected.
December 12, 1993: Jean Allaire announces the creation of a new political party of which he will be the Leader: the Parti Action-Québec. This political party will become the Action démocratique du Québec at the beginning of 1994.
December 12, 1985: Following the victory of his party during the General Election of December 2, 1985, Robert Bourassa (LIB) is sworn in as Prime Minister of Quebec. Germain Leduc (LIB), MNA for Saint-Laurent, resigns as Member of the National Assembly the same day to allow the Prime Minister to sit in the National Assembly.
December 12, 1980: Jean Lesage (LIB), Prime Minister of Quebec from 1960 to 1966, dies at the age of 68.
December 12, 1967: Arthur-Ewen Séguin (ind.), MLA for Robert-Baldwin, announces that he joins the Parliamentary group of the Parti libéral du Québec.
December 12, 1927: Joseph Gauthier (LIB), MLA for Montréal–Sainte-Marie, is found guilty of electoral fraud by the Superior Court during the General Election of May 16, 1927. His election is cancelled and the Montréal–Sainte-Marie seat becomes vacant.
December 13, 1993: By-election in Laval-des-Rapides; Serge Ménard (PQ) is elected.
December 13, 1979: The assent is given to the "Loi sur la représentation électorale" (Electoral Representation Act), which creates the Commission de la représentation électorale, an independent and permanent body in charge of redistricting Quebec's ridings.
December 13, 1968: The Legislative Council (upper house of the Parliament of Quebec) adopts the bill providing for its own abolition.
December 13, 1956: Tancrède Labbé (UN), MLA for Mégantic and Minister without portfolio, dies in office in a car accident.
December 13, 1873: René-Édouard Caron, Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, dies in office.
December 14, 1993: At the outcome of a Leadership Convention, Daniel Johnson Jr. (LIB), MNA for Vaudreuil-Soulanges, is elected by acclamation as Leader of the Parti libéral du Québec.
December 14, 1975: Fabien Roy (ind.), MNA for Beauce-Sud, and Jérôme Choquette (ind.), MNA for Outremont, announce the creation of the Parti national populaire (People's National Party). Jérôme Choquette shall be the Leader of the Party.
December 14, 1963: Rodrigue Thibault (LIB), MLA for Saguenay, dies in office.
December 14, 1961: By-elections in Chambly and Jacques-Cartier; Pierre Laporte (LIB) and Marie-Claire Kirkland (LIB) are elected. For the first time, a woman becomes Member of the Legislative Assembly.
December 14, 1936: Raoul Poulin (UN), MLA for Beauce, resigns as Member of the Legislative Assembly.
December 14, 1905: By-election in Napierville, Cyprien Dorris (LIB) is elected.
December 15, 1998: Inauguration of the new Cabinet of Lucien Bouchard (PQ) following the general election of November 30, 1998.
December 15, 1978: Zoel Saindon (LIB), MNA for Argenteuil, resigns as Member of the National Assembly.
December 15, 1968: Antonio Barrette (UN), Prime Minister of Quebec from January to June 1960, dies at the age of 69.
December 15, 1965: Jean-Baptiste Crépeau (LIB), MLA for Montréal-Mercier, resigns as Member of the Legislative Assembly following his appointment as judge.
December 15, 1955: Alexandre Taché (UN), MLA for Hull and Speaker of the legislative Assembly of Quebec, resigns as Member of the Legislative Assembly.
December 15, 1921: By-elections in Beauce, Richmond, Trois-Rivières and Wolfe; Joseph-Hugues Fortier (LIB), Jacob Nicol (LIB), Minister of Municipal Affairs in Taschereau's Cabinet, Louis-Philippe Mercier (LIB) and Joseph-Pierre-Cyrénus Lemieux (LIB) are elected by acclamation.
December 15, 1917: By-elections in Dorchester, Labelle, Nicolet and Ottawa; Joseph-Charles-Ernest Ouellet (LIB), J.-Honoré Achim (LIB), Joseph-Alcide Savoie (LIB) and Joseph Caron (LIB) are elected by acclamation.
December 16, 1982: The assent is given to the "Loi sur l'intégration de l'administration du système électoral", which states that the offices of Chief Election Officer, Chief Officer on the Financing of Political Parties and Chief Officer on Electoral Representation are merged into one office: that of Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec.
December 16, 1907: By-election in Châteauguay; Honoré Mercier, Jr.(LIB) is elected.
December 16, 1892: Following the dismissal of Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville (CON), Louis-Olivier Taillon (CON) is sworn in as Prime Minister of Quebec.
December 16, 1873: By-election in Montmagny; François-C. Langelier (LIB) is elected.
December 16, 1867: By-election in Champlain; Jean-Charles Chapais (CON) is elected by acclamation. This is the first by-election in the history of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec.
December 17, 2002: The Rassemblement pour l'alternative progressiste losses the status of authorized political party following its merger within the Union des forces progressistes.
December 17, 1984: The Parti nationaliste humain du Québec losses the status of authorized political party.
December 17, 1962: Marcel Chaput leaves the Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale (National Independence Rally), which wasn't a political parti at this time, to found the Parti républicain du Québec.
December 17, 1931: The Legislative Assembly adopts the "Loi Dillon" (Dillon Act), which has been deposed by the MLA for Montréal–Sainte-Anne, Joseph-H. Dillon (LIB), as a counter-attack against the legal dispute on the election of 63 Liberal MLAs during the 1931 general election. With the Dillon Act, these disputes become null and void.
December 17, 1929: Joseph-William Gagnon (LIB), MLA for Maskinongé, dies in office.
December 17, 1885: William John Watts (LIB), MLA for Drummond et Arthabaska, resigns as Member of the Legislative Assembly because of a discord with his party in the "affaire Riel"(Riel affair).
December 17, 1877: By-election in Québec Ouest; Richard Alleyn (CON) is elected.
December 17, 1792: Opening of the first sitting of the House of Assembly of Lower Canada.
December 18, 1997: Régent L. Beaudet (LIB), MNA for Argenteuil, resigns as Member of the National Assembly.
December 18, 1968: The assent is given to the act abolishing the Legislative Council (upper house of the Parliament of Quebec).
December 18, 1946: By-election in Bagot; J.-F.-Daniel Johnson, Sr. (UN) is elected.
December 18, 1792: Jean-Antoine Panet, Member of the House of Assembly of Lower Canada, is elected as the first Speaker of the House of Quebec's History.
December 19, 1979: Maurice Bellemare (UN), MNA for Johnson and former Leader of the Union nationale, resigns as Member of the National Assembly.
December 19, 1970: The assent is given to an Actof the National Assembly of Quebec abolishing the "protected ridings", which were established for the benefit of the anglophone minority and whose borders could be modified only with the agreement of a double majority of MNA (majority of the whole assembly and majority of the MNA representing the "protected ridings").
December 19, 1934: Augustin-Armand Legault (LIB), MLA for Gatineau, dies in office.
December 19, 1898: By-elections in Beauharnois, Lévis, Missisquoi and Verchères; Arthur Plante (CON), Charles Langelier (LIB), Cédric-Lemoine Cotton (LIB) and Étienne Blanchard dit Rainaud (LIB) are elected.
December 19, 1876: Pierre-Clovis Beauchesne (CON), MLA for Bonaventure, is found guilty of electoral fraud by the Courts during the General Election of July 7, 1875. His election is cancelled and the Bonaventure seat becomes vacant.
December 20, 1984: Cabinet shuffle in the Lévesque cabinet (PQ).
December 20, 1979: The Prime Minister of Quebec, René Lévesque (PQ), presents to the National Assembly the wording of the question that shall be asked to Quebecers during the referendum on sovereignty-association to be held on May 20, 1980.
December 20, 1978: Raymond Garneau (LIB), MNA for Jean-Talon and former Minister in the Bourassa Cabinet, resigns as Member of the National Assembly.
December 20, 1895: Joseph-Adélard Descarries (CON), MLA for Jacques-Cartier, resigns as Member of the Legislative Assembly.
December 20, 1887: Elijah Edmund Spencer (CON), MLA for Missisquoi, is found guilty of electoral fraud by the Courts during the General Election of October 14, 1886. His election is cancelled and the Missisquoi seat becomes vacant.
December 21, 1990: Yves Séguin (LIB), MNA for Montmorency and former Minister of Revenue, resigns as Member of the National Assembly.
December 21, 1988: Cabinet shuffle in the Bourassa cabinet (LIB) following the dismissal of three ministers, Herbert Marx, Richard French and Clifford Lincoln, who had voted against the bill 178 on the language of posting. Two other Liberal MNAs, Joan Dougherty and Harold Thuringer, had also voted against the bill.
December 21, 1917: Joseph-Napoléon Francoeur (LIB), MLA for Lotbinière, brings in to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec the "Motion Francoeur", which proposes « la rupture du pacte fédératif de 1867-1875 si, dans les autres provinces, on croit qu'elle est un obstacle à l'union, au progrès et au développement du Canada » (the rupture of the federative pact of 1867-1875 if, in the other provinces, one believes that it is an obstacle to the union, the progress and the development of Canada). The motion shall be withdrawed by it's proposer before the vote on January 1918.
December 21, 1908: By-election in Montréal division No. 1; Napoléon Séguin (LIB) is elected by acclamation.
December 21, 1891: After the "Scandale de la baie des Chaleurs" (Chaleurs Bay Scandal), the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, Auguste-Réal Angers, dismisses Honoré Mercier (LIB) from office and appoints Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville (CON) as Prime Minister of Quebec.
December 22, 1923: Moïse O'Bready (LIB), MLA for Sherbrooke, dies in office.
December 22, 1921: By-elections in Montréal–Sainte-Marie, Témiscouata and Verchères; Joseph Gauthier (OUV), Eugène Godbout (LIB) and Jean-Marie Richard (LIB) are elected.
December 22, 1897: By-elections in Bonaventure, Lévis and Yamaska; William Henry Clapperton (LIB), Nazaire-Nicholas Ollivier (LIB) and L.-Jules Allard (LIB) are elected.
December 23, 1872: By-election in Montmorency; Joseph-Édouard Cauchon (CON) is elected by acclamation.
December 24, 1996: Paul-Eugène Quirion (LIB), MNA for Beauce-Sud, dies in office.
December 24, 1889: Louis Sylvestre (LIB), MLA for Berthier, resigns as Member of the Legislative Assembly because of his forthcoming appointment as Legislative Councillor.
December 24, 1851: Return of the Writs for the 4^th General Elections to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. The "Tory" government, led by Hincks and Morin, wins a majority of seats.
December 26, 1934: Georges Dansereau (LIB), MLA for Argenteuil, dies in office.
December 26, 1791: The Constitutional Act comes into effect. This act of the British Parliament stipulates the creation of a House of Assembly in Lower Canada.
December 27, 1985: The Parti du socialisme chrétien losses the status of authorized political party.
December 27, 1918: By-elections in Matane, Montréal–St-Laurent and Napierville; Octave Fortin (LIB), Henry Miles (LIB) and Amédée Monet (LIB) are elected.
December 27, 1904: The Leader of the Parti conservateur, Edmund James Flynn (CON), announces his withdrawal from the political life. He also announces the nearest organization of a Leadership Convention in order to designate a successor to him.
December 27, 1888: By-elections in L'Assomption and Mégantic; Ludger Forest (LIB) and William Rhodes (LIB), Commissionneer for Agriculture and Colonization in Mercier's Cabinet, are elected.
December 27, 1867: Opening of the first session of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec.
December 28, 1908: By-elections in Châteauguay, Laval, Montréal division No. 6 and Québec-Centre; Honoré Mercier, Jr. (LIB), Joseph-Wenceslas Lévesque (LIB), Michael James Walsh (LIB) and Eugène Leclerc (LIB) are elected.
December 29, 1981: Claude Morin (PQ), MNA for Louis-Hébert and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, resigns as Member of the National Assembly. He shall resign as Minister on January 8, 1982.
December 29, 1948: Joseph-Théophile Larochelle (UN), MLA for Lévis, resigns as Member of the legislative Assembly because of his forthcoming appointment as legislative conseillor.
December 29, 1910: By-election in St. Jean; Marcellin Robert (LIB) is elected.
December 30, 1937: Cyrille Dumaine (LIB), MLA for Bagot, is found guilty of electoral fraud by the Courts during the General Election of August 17, 1936. His election is cancelled and the Bagot seat becomes vacant.
December 30, 1889: Alfred Rochon (LIB), MLA for Ottawa (Outaouais), is found guilty of electoral fraud by the Courts during the By-Election held on September 14, 1887. His election is cancelled and the Ottawa seat becomes vacant.
December 30, 1889: By-election in Québec Ouest; Owen Murphy (LIB) is elected.
December 30, 1880: By-election in Berthier; Joseph Robillard (CON) is elected.
December 31, 1983: The Parti national populaire losses the status of authorized political party.
December 31, 1968: As enacted by the Parliament of Quebec earlier in 1968, the upper house of the Parliament, the "Conseil législatif" (Legislative Council), is abolished.
December 31, 1909: Joseph Laferté (LIB), MLA for Drummond, is found guilty of electoral fraud by the Courts during the General Election of June 8, 1908. His election is cancelled and the Drummond seat becomes vacant.
December 31, 1892: By-election in Chambly; Louis-Olivier Taillon (CON), Prime Minister of Quebec, is elected by acclamation.

Last update: December 12, 2005

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Political History of Quebec

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