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An encore for the Parti Québécois

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.

René Lévesque's gamble of delaying the provincial election seems to be paying off. The day before Quebecers cast their votes, opinion polls show the PQ finally ahead of Claude Ryan and his Liberals. This is a last minute turnaround for Lévesque, who only 11 months ago suffered a major defeat in the much-anticipated referendum on sovereignty-association.

By persuading Quebecers to put the sovereignty issue on the back burner and focusing on the PQ's history of good government, Lévesque and his PQ sweep back into power on April 13, 1981. Quebecers send a strong vote of confidence to Lévesque, granting the PQ a bigger victory than in 1976. The PQ walks away with 80 seats to the Liberals' 42.
• In the May 1980 referendum, 59.5 per cent of Quebecers sided with Claude Ryan and the Liberals voting against René Lévesque and his Parti Québécois on sovereignty-association.

• Sovereignty-association refers to the creation of a separate Quebec state that would maintain close economic links with Canada.

• Liberal leader Claude Ryan was the big loser of the 1981 election. Ryan ill-advisedly attacked the Parti Québécois' handling of the economy when statistics showed that Quebec's economy was booming. Levesque
Medium: Radio
Program: Sunday Morning
Broadcast Date: April 12, 1981
Guest(s): Francis Fox, René Lévesque, Maurice Pinard, Claude Ryan
Reporter: Terence McKenna
Duration: 15:30

Last updated: April 10, 2013

Page consulted on April 10, 2013

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