< Return to previous page

Title
Dr. Lanteigne & Mr. Rene

Issues
Quebec Referenda (1980, 1995)
A referendum is a political process in which the general public votes on an issue of public concern. Two such referenda have been held in Quebec that asked the voters for approval on amendments that would grant Quebec sovereignty, which would allow it to ”acquire the exclusive power to make its laws, levy its taxes and establish relations abroad”. The 1980 Quebec referendum was the first. Called by Quebec's Parti Québécois (PQ) government, the province-wide referendum took place on Tuesday May 20, 1980, and the motion to pursue Quebec's independence was decisively defeated by 59.56% to 40.44%. The 1995 Quebec referendum was the second referendum on the same issue. It took place on October 30, 1995, and the motion was defeated by a much smaller margin, 50.58% to 49.42%.

Persons
René Levesque
- Born August 24, 1922
- Died November 1, 1987
- One-time Liberal, founder of the Parti Québécois
- Left Liberal Party, founded Mouvement Souveraineté-Association, 1967
- Merged Mouvement Souveraineté-Association with Ralliement National to form Parti Québécois, 1968
- Attempted to negotiate political independence for Quebec
- Passed Bill 101 to maintain French as the prominent language of Quebec
- Supported the repatriation of the Canadian Constitution
- Resigned party leadership, 1985
Jean-Pierre Lanteigne
- Prominent physician and advocate for the Acadian community in New Brunswick
- Member of the Parti Acadien (New Brunswick), elected leader, 1975
- Claimed the Parti Acadien was not just an offshoot of the Parti Quebecois, but there were separatist sentiments among New Brunswick Acadians at the time.
- Some members of the party supported the idea of secession from New Brunswick and the creation of a separate Acadian province.