Quebec Elections

2007 Quebec General Election

Jay Makarenko — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0700

On March 26, 2007, Quebec voters returned Jean Charest and the Quebec Liberal Party to power, albeit as a minority government (the first in Quebec in almost 130 years). Moreover, the election was a huge success for the upstart Action démocratique du Québec, under Mario Dumont, who won 41 seats and attained the status of Official Opposition (prior to the election, the Party only had four seats). The fall to third party status for the Parti Québécois, led by André Boisclair, creates a question mark for the longterm future of the Party and its goal of Quebec sovereignty. This article provides an overview of the 2007 general election, with discussions of voter regulations, Quebec electoral history, key political parties, and election issues and results.

Quebec Electoral Backgrounder

Previous elections and pre-election party standings

Political Parties in the 2007 Quebec Election

Policies and leaders of the major political parties

Issues in the 2007 Quebec Election

Overview of key election issues

Results of the 2007 Quebec Election

Liberals win a minority government

Sources and Links for More Information

List of article sources and links for more on this topic

Quebec Electoral Backgrounder

Previous elections and pre-election party standings

2003 Quebec General Election

The last Quebec general election was held in 2003, in which the Quebec Liberal Party, helmed by Jean Charest won a majority government. The Liberals defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, which had governed the province since 1994. Key issues in that election included health care waiting lists and voter desire for political change.

Results of 2003 Quebec General Election
	Seats	Votes (%)	Status
Liberal Party	76	45.99	Majority government
Parti Québécois	45	33.24	Official Opposition
Action démocratique du Québec	4	20.77

Recent By-elections

Since the general election in 2003, several by-elections have been held in the Province, which have impacted party standings in the National Assembly. The Liberals lost two seats through by-elections, while both the Parti Québécois (PQ) and the Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ) picked up a seat.

Results of Quebec By-elections (2003-07)
Date	Riding	Previous Member (Party)	New Member (Party)
2004	Gouin	André Boisclair (PQ)	Nicolas Girard (PQ)
	Laurier-Dorion	Christos Sirros (Lib.)	Elsie Lefebvre (PQ)
	Nelligan	Russell Williams (Lib.)	Yolande James (Lib.)
	Vanier	Marc Bellemare (Lib.)	Sylvain Légaré (ADQ)
2005	Outremont	Yves Séguin (Lib.)	Raymond Bachand (Lib.)
	Verchères	Bernard Landry (PQ)	Stéphane Bergeron (PQ)
2006	Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques	André Boulerice (PQ)	Martin Lemay (PQ)
	Pointe-aux-Trembles	Nicole Léger (PQ)	André Boisclair (PQ)
	Taillon	Pauline Marois (PQ)	Marie Malavoy (PQ)

Other Changes in Party Standings

Other events since the 2003 general election have also impacted party standings in the National Assembly. In November 2006, Parti Québécois member Jean-Pierre Charbonneau resigned his seat in the riding of Borduas. That same month, Liberal member Diane Legault resigned her seat in the riding of Chambly. No by-election was held for either riding. Additionally, MNA Daniel Bouchard was forced to leave the Liberal Party and sit as an Independent after being charged with fraud.

Party Standings at the Time of Dissolution

When the election was called, in February 2007, the standings of each party in the National Assembly were as follows.

Party Standings at Dissolution 2007
	Seats	Status
Liberal Party	72	Majority government
Parti Québécois	45	Official Opposition
Action démocratique du Québec	5
Independent	1
Vacant	2

Parti Québécois Elects a New Leader

In November 2005, the Parti Québécois, the main sovereignist and social democratic party in Quebec, held a leadership convention to replace former leader Bernard Landry. Landry stepped down from the post after receiving 76.2 percent approval in a party leadership review, stating he felt he did not have enough support to continue as party leader.

The subsequent leadership convention was won by André Boisclair, a former Parti Québécois Member of the National Assembly. Boisclair won the leadership on the first ballot, easily out-pacing other major rivals.

Results of 2005 PQ Leadership Convention
Candidate	No. Votes	% Support
André Boisclair	56,503	53.7
Pauline Marois	32, 166	30.6
Richard Legendre	7,877	7.4
Louis Bernard	5,775	5.49
Pierre Dubuc	1,282	1.22
Jean-Claude St-André	951	0.9
Ghislain Lebel	458	0.44
Jean Ouimet	247	0.23

Political Parties in the 2007 Quebec Election

Policies and leaders of the major political parties

Quebec Liberal Party (Parti libéral du Québec)

The Quebec Liberal Party, which has not been associated with the federal Liberal Party since 1955, offers a blend of social progressivism (as opposed to social conservatism) and pro-federalism on the issue of Quebec’s place in Canada. Traditionally, the Party has supported a role for the state in managing the economy and encouraging economic development. In recent years, however, the Party has moved slightly more to the right on economic policy, advocating a smaller role for government in an attempt to address the Province’s substantial public debt.

Jean Charest is the current leader of the Liberal Party. He has led the Party since 1998, and has been Premier of Quebec since 2003. Previously, Charest was active in federal politics with the former Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. He served as a Cabinet minister, under the Conservative governments of both Brian Mulroney and Kim Campbell. He also led the PC Party for a number of years, from 1993 to 1998.

For more information on Jean Charest:

In the 2007 general election, the Quebec Liberal Party is campaigning on the issues of fiscal conservatism and bringing the government’s finances under control. The Party’s plan includes a focus on health and education spending and reducing levels of taxation in Quebec, while limiting government spending in other areas. The Party has also focused on environmental policy, promoting French culture, and continuing to improve Quebec’s political power within the Canadian federation.

Form more information on the Party’s 2007 election platform:

Parti Québécois

The Parti Québécois is a left-wing political party that advocates national sovereignty for Quebec and the Province’s secession from Canada. Since its creation in 1968, the Party has been at the fore of the Quebec secession movement. While in power, the Party initiated two provincial referenda on the issue, in 1980, and again in 1995. On economic and social policy, the Party has traditionally been to the left of the political spectrum, advocating a strong role for the state in economic development and addressing social and cultural issues.

André Boisclair is the current leader of the Parti Québécois. He joined the Party in 1984, was first elected to the National Assembly in 1989, and has served as a Cabinet minister in two PQ governments, those helmed by Lucien Bouchard and Bernard Landry. In 2004, Boisclair left politics to complete a Masters in Public Administration at Harvard University. In 2005, he returned to Quebec politics, successfully winning the Party’s leadership following the resignation of former leader Bernard Landry.

For more information on André Boisclair:

National Assembly of Quebec: André Boisclair

In the 2007 general election, the Parti Québécois is campaigning on several key issues, including national sovereignty, increased spending in the areas of education, health and the environment, as well as controlling government waste through a proposed reorganization of the public service.

For more on the Party’s 2007 election platform:

Parti Québécois: 2007 Election Platform (PDF) (French)
Official Website of the Parti Québécois (French)

Action démocratique du Québec

The Action démocratique du Québec is a right-of-centre political party that advocates fiscal conservatism and a lesser role for government in economic and social policy. On the issue of sovereignty, the Action démocratique du Québec supports Quebec autonomy within the Canadian nation-state, rather than full separation. The Party, while never forming government, has enjoyed limited electoral success; it had five members in the National Assembly prior to its dissolution for the 2007 election.

Mario Dumont is the leader of the Action démocratique du Québec, and has been since the early years of the Party in 1994. Dumont first entered in politics in 1986, as a member of the youth commission of the Quebec Liberal Party. In 1994, following a split with the Liberal Party on the Charlottetown Accord, he left, helping to form the new party, and later becoming its leader. He was first elected to the National Assembly in 1994 for the riding of Rivière-du-Loup.

For more information on Mario Dumont:

National Assembly of Quebec: Mario Dumont

In the 2007 general election, the Action démocratique du Québec is campaigning on a range of issues, including balancing the budget, reducing government debt, reducing government regulation of the economy, Constitutional renegotiation with Canada, increasing spending in education, offer direct financial assistance to parents for child care (as opposed to the current system of providing subsidized child care centres).

For more information on the Party’s 2007 election platform:

List of Other Political Parties

Bloc Pot
Parti communiste du Québec
Parti conscience universelle
Parti démocratie chrétienne du Québec
Parti égalité/Equality Party
Parti marxiste-léniniste du Québec
Parti unitaire du Québec
Parti vert du Québec/Green Party of Québec
Québec solidaire

Issues in the 2007 Quebec Election

Overview of key election issues

Second Liberal Mandate

One of the key issues in this election is whether Quebecers wish to give Premier Jean Charest and the Liberals a second mandate in government. The Liberal’s first mandate has been rocky at best. After enjoying strong success in the 2003 election, Charest’s Liberal government pursued broad reforms of social programs, as well as cuts to government spending and the civil service. Midway through their mandate, the Liberals faced prolonged labour unrest due to their “streamlining” of the civil service, resulting in a sharp drop in popularity with Quebec voters (falling well behind the opposition Parti Québécois). By 2006-07, support for Charest’s Liberals had rebounded; the Party entered the 2007 general election campaign slightly ahead of the Parti Québécois in the polls.

Quebec National Sovereignty

An ever-present issue in Quebec provincial politics is national sovereignty. Charest’s Liberals have attempted to frame the election on the issue, warning that a vote for the Parti Québécois is a vote for another referendum on sovereignty. Recent polls have indicated that two-thirds of Quebecers do not want another referendum. The Parti Québécois has downplayed its traditional position, despite the fact that after being elected leader of the Party, André Boisclair vowed to hold another referendum on Quebec sovereignty. When the PQ released its 2007 election platform, however, the word ‘referendum’ was absent. The Party instead promised a “public consultation” on the issue. The Action démocratique du Québec, by contrast, has accused both the Liberals and the Parti Québécois of fixating on the issue of a referendum instead of focusing on new ideas to improve the lives of Quebecers.

Federal Fiscal Imbalance

Another election issue involves perceptions over a fiscal ‘imbalance’ in the Canadian federal system. All parties have taken the position that Quebec deserves a larger share of federal-provincial revenues. Charest’s Liberals have been aided on this issue by recent agreements with the federal government to increase fiscal transfers to Quebec under the national Equalization Program. There is also an expectation that the next federal budget, due in March 2007, will offer more money to Quebec. The Parti Québécois, however, has argued the Liberals have failed to properly address this issue, and that sovereignty is the only true solution for overcoming fiscal conflicts between the province and the federal government. The Action démocratique du Québec has argued for an “in house” solution to the alleged fiscal imbalance; for them, Quebec should pursue a policy of fiscal autonomy or independence from federal transfers by controlling government spending, eliminating the debt, and growing the economy.

Health Care Policy

Health care policy, in particular, overcrowding in hospital emergency wards, could also prove to be a key election issue. Charest’s Liberals have promised to fix the problem, if elected to serve a second mandate. The Quebec Liberal Party plan includes hiring 1,500 new doctors and 2,000 new nurses to reduce overcrowding. The Party has also publicly blamed the Parti Québécois for the current situation, arguing that the PQs decision to offer early retirement to doctors and nurses in the 1990s has resulted in a personnel shortage. The Parti Québécois have countered by pointing out that the Liberals promised to address overcrowding in the 2003 election, and have failed to achieve any results four years later. The Party has also pledged to increase the number of health care professionals, as well as increase overall government spending in health care. The Action démocratique du Québec, by contrast, has advocated the development of a mixed health care system (public, private, cooperative) in order to deal with current stresses on the public system.

Results of the 2007 Quebec Election

Liberals win a minority government

Overview of the Results

Party	# Seats	Change	% Vote	Change	Status
Liberal Party	48	-28	33.08	-12.91	Minority government
Action démocratique du Québec	41	+37	30.80	+12.63	Official Opposition
Parti Québécois	36	-9	28.33	-4.91

Significance of the Results

The results of the 2007 Quebec election were significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, while the Liberals, helmed by Jean Charest, were returned to power, they were only able to win a minority government. The Liberals dropped 28 seats and over 12 percent of the popular vote from the 2003 general election. This minority government status means the Liberals will have to seek support from the other parties in the National Assembly in order to pass legislation and govern effectively. On a historical note, this is the first minority government in Quebec in almost 130 years - the last occurred in 1878.

Secondly, the election represented a huge success for the Action démocratique du Québec. While the party did not win government, it increased its seat total tenfold, from four seats prior to the election to 41 seats. Moreover, the Action démocratique du Québec became the Official Opposition, pushing the Parti Québécois into third place status. At a minimum, the success of the Action démocratique du Québec indicates the emergence of a strong three party political system in Quebec, which has traditionally been only a two party system with the Liberals and the Parti Québécois.

Finally, the election held mixed signals for the Parti Québécois. On the one hand, the fall to third party status was a major set back (typically the Party either forms government or is the Official Opposition). However, the Party only lost dropped nine seats and less than five percent of the popular vote from the 2003 general election - far less than the drop experienced by Quebec Liberal Party. As such, it is not clear precisely what this election will entail for the longterm fortunes of the Parti Québécois and its goal of Quebec sovereignty.

Sources and Links for More Information

List of article sources and links for more on this topic

Article Sources

“Conditions for exercising your right to vote.” Directeur général des élections. 04 March 2007. <http://www.electionsquebec.qc.ca/en/conditions_exercising_right_vote.asp?sect=prov>
“ADQ Program.” Action démocratique du Québec. 04 March 2007. <http://adqaction.com/media/ADQ_Program.pdf>
“Reconstruisons notre Québéc.” Parti Québécois. 04 March 2007. <http://campagne.pq.org/fichiers_pq/pdf/plateforme.pdf>
“Together We Can Build a Successful Future for Quebec.” Quebec Liberal Party. 04 March 2007 <http://www.plq.org/pdf/Plateforme_PLQ_Ang.pdf>

Links for More Information

2003 Quebec General Election

Jay Makarenko — Tue, 01 Apr 2003 00:00:00 -0700

On April 14, 2003, Quebec voters elected Jean Charest and the Quebec Liberal Party to a majority government. The Liberal win, the first for the Party since 1989, changed the political landscape of the province, ending nine years of rule by the Parti Québécois. The upstart Action démocratique du Québec, and its leader Mario Dumont, also had a successful election, winning four seats in the National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale), the province’s provincial legislature. This article summarizes the 2003 Quebec general election, including election history, information on party leaders and platforms, and the final results of the election.

Quebec Electoral Backgrounder

Previous elections and pre-election polls

Political Parties in 2003 Quebec Election

Policies and leaders of the major parties in the election

2003 Quebec Election Results

Liberal Party wins a majority government

Sources and Links for More Information

List of links for more on this topic

Quebec Electoral Backgrounder

Previous election and pre-election party polls

1998 General Election Results

The previous Quebec general election was held in 1998, in which the Parti Québécois won a majority government, with 76 of 125 seats in the provincial legislative assembly. The Liberal Party came in second with 48 seats, forming the Official Opposition. The Action démocratique du Québec, which first emerged in the 1994 general election, won one seat.

(Source: Le Directeur général des elections du Québec)

Provincial By-elections (1998-2003)

Between the general elections of 1998 and 2003, 12 by-elections were held. Of these twelve, the Liberal Party won five, while the Action démocratique du Québec won four. The Parti Québécois only managed to win three of the by-elections during this period.

For more information on Quebec by-election between 1998 and 2003:

Official Website of Le Directeur général des elections du Québec

Pre-election Public Opinion Polls

Following several decisive by-election victories in 2002, the Action démocratique du Québec and its leader Mario Dumont were riding high in the polls. However, several new polls in March 2003 indicated that support for the Action démocratique du Québec had dropped substantially.

In a 2003 survey completed by the Montreal-based CROP polling firm, the Parti Québécois were leading with 35 percent support, the Liberals in second with 31 percent, and the Action démocratique du Québec in third with only 17 percent support. The survey also found 17 percent of voters were undecided.

In another 2003 survey, done by Leger Marketing, the Parti Québécois and Liberals were neck-in-neck at 42 percent each, with the Action démocratique du Québec a distant third at 16 percent. Other findings of the 2003 Leger Marketing survey were as follows:

Linguistic Voting Patterns

	Francophone Voters	Non-francophone Voters
Parti Québecois	49%	08%
Liberal Party	31%	84%
Action démocratique	18%	5%

Trust in Leaders

	Entire Population	Francophones	Non-francophones
Bernard Landry (PQ)	37%	44%	8%
Jean Charest (Liberal)	29%	23%	57%
Mario Dumont (ADQ)	17%	19%	11%
None of the Above	07%	06%	09%

Political Parties in 2003 Quebec Election

Policies and leaders of the major parties in the election

Overview of the Major Political Parties

The three major parties in the 2003 general election are the Parti Québécois, the Quebec Liberal Party, and the Action démocratique du Québec.

The Parti Québécois is committed to Quebec independence, unlike the Quebec Liberal Party. The PQ also envisions a large role for government in economic and social policy, unlike the Action démocratique du Québec. The PQ party was founded in 1968 and first came to power in 1976 under Premier René Lévesque. Over its history, the Parti Québécois has introduced controversial legislation, including prohibiting the use of English on signs and in most commercial transactions, and has twice held provincial referendums on Quebec sovereignty.

The Quebec Liberal Party traditionally supports Canadian federalism, unlike the separatist Parti Québécois. Compared to the Action démocratique du Québec, the Quebec Liberals support a large role for government in the economy. Under the recent leadership of Jean Charest, however, the Party has moved somewhat to the right in terms of economic policy, advocating lower levels of taxation and less government involvement in economic activities. The Quebec Liberal Party has held power during some important events in Quebec history, including Liberal Premier Jean Lesage’s government during the 1960s Quiet Revolution and Liberal Premier Robert Bourassa’s government during the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords.

The Action démocratique du Québec has supported independence in the past; however, during the 2003 election campaign, it supported striking a partnership with Canada. The ADQ strongly opposes a large government role in the economy. The Party was founded in 1994 by Mario Dumont and Jean Allaire following a split with the Quebec Liberal Party. Recently, the ADQ began gaining in the polls and won additional seats in by-elections during 2002.

Leaders of the Major Parties

Bernard Landry is the leader of the Parti Québécois and Premier of Quebec going into the 2003 general election. He was born in March 9, 1937, in Saint-Jacques-de-Montcalm, Quebec. He studied law at the Université de Montréal and economics and finance at the Institut d’études politiques in Paris. He helped found the Parti Québécois in the 1960s and was first elected to Quebec’s National Assembly in 1976. Mr. Landry was appointed deputy premier in 1994 and finance minister in 1996. He became leader of the Parti Québécois and premier of Quebec in 2001. Mr. Landry has three children.

Jean Charest is the leader of the Quebec Liberal Party and leader of the Official Opposition in Quebec’s National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) going into the 2003 election. He was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, on June 24, 1958. Mr. Charest earned a law degree at the University of Sherbrooke and was called to the Quebec bar in 1981. He was elected to the federal House of Commons in 1984 as a member of the federal Progressive Conservative Party. Following the 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum, Mr. Charest left federal politics. In 1998, he became leader of the Quebec Liberal Party and was elected to the Quebec Assemblée Nationale.

Mario Dumont is leader of the Action démocratique du Québec for the 2003 general election. He was born May 19, 1970, in Cacouna, Quebec. In 1993, he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Concordia University in Montreal. He first entered politics in 1986 as a member of the youth commission of the Quebec Liberal party; in 1988, he was elected to its executive body, and later became chairman in 1991. In 1994, following a split with the Liberal Party leadership on the Charlottetown Accord issue, Mr. Dumont quit the Liberals and helped found the Action Démocratique du Québec. He became leader of the ADQ in April 1994 and was elected to the Quebec Assemblée Nationale.

2003 Party Election Platforms

The following provides a comparison between the three major political parties on three key election issues: family, health care, and the economy.

	Parti Québécois	Liberal Party	Action démocratique
Family	- Maintain public daycare - Four-day work week for parents with children aged 12 and under. - Increase the number of allowed family days from three to four weeks.	- Maintain public daycare program with more private centers.	- Expand public daycare program. - Increase the number of allowed family days from two to four weeks.
Health	- Maintain public health care. - Invest hundreds of millions of dollars on community clinics, home care and reducing waiting lists for surgery.	- Maintain public health care with some private services. - Invest $7.5 billion over five years to hire more doctors and nurses and shorten waiting times.	- More private-sector health care clinics. - Shorten emergency rooms waiting times.
Economy	- Economic growth through subsidies to business, increased job training and running a zero-deficit budget.	- Economic growth through fiscal responsibility and moderate tax cuts.	- Economic growth through paying down the debt, large tax cuts, and large cuts to public service.

2003 Quebec Election Results

Liberal Party wins a majority government

The Liberal Party won a majority government, with 76 of 125 seats in Quebec’s National Assembly. As a result, Liberal leader Jean Charest became the new Premier of Quebec. The Liberal win ended nine years of Parti Québécois rule, and was the first time the Party has been elected to government since 1989. The Parti Québécois came in second, winning 45 seats in the legislature, a drop of 31 seats from the 1998 general election. The upstart Action démocratique du Québec beat its 1998 seat totals, winning 4 seats in the legislature (in 1998, the Party only won one seat).

Sources and Links for More Information

Lists of links for more on this topic