Québécois (also known as Quebecers or Quebeckers in English) are people associated with Quebec . The term is most often used in reference to either descendants of the French settlers in Quebec or people of any ethnicity who live and trace their origins in the province of Quebec .
105-556: The Bloc Québécois ( BQ ; French pronunciation: [blɔk kebekwa] , " Quebecer Bloc ") is a federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty . The Bloc was formed by Members of Parliament (MPs) who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative Party and Liberal Party during the collapse of the Meech Lake Accord . Founder Lucien Bouchard had been
210-546: A preferendum when the choices given allow the voters to weight their support for a policy. In Switzerland , for example, multiple choice referendums are common. Two multiple choice referendums were held in Sweden , in 1957 and in 1980, in which voters were offered three options. In 1977, a referendum held in Australia to determine a new national anthem was held, in which voters had four choices. In 1992, New Zealand held
315-530: A modern state in 1848 . Italy ranks second with 78 national referendums : 72 popular referendums (51 of which were proposed by the Radical Party ), 4 constitutional referendums, one institutional referendum and one advisory referendum . A referendum usually offers the electorate a straight choice between accepting or rejecting a proposal. However some referendums give voters multiple choices, and some use transferable voting. This has also been called
420-432: A 'referendum' is often said to be a vote to change the federal constitution and 'plebiscite' a vote which does not affect the federal constitution. However, this is erroneous as not all federal referendums have been on constitutional matters (such as the 1916 Australian conscription referendum ), and state votes that likewise do not affect either the federal or state constitution are frequently said to be referendums (such as
525-523: A Latin gerund, referendum has no plural). The Latin plural gerundive 'referenda', meaning 'things to be referred', necessarily connotes a plurality of issues. It is closely related to agenda , "those matters which must be driven forward", from ago , to impel or drive forwards; and memorandum , "that matter which must be remembered", from memoro , to call to mind, corrigenda , from rego , to rule, make straight, those things which must be made straight (corrected), etc. The term 'plebiscite' has
630-506: A Latin word and attempting to apply to it the rules of Latin grammar) is unsupportable according to the rules of both Latin and English grammar. The use of "referenda" as a plural form is posited hypothetically as either a gerund or a gerundive by the Oxford English Dictionary , which rules out such usage in both cases as follows: Referendums is logically preferable as a plural form meaning 'ballots on one issue' (as
735-456: A Member of Parliament or a member of Quebec's National Assembly , was elected party leader after running on a platform of prioritizing Quebec independence above all else. He defeated BQ Member of Parliament André Bellavance , who had campaigned on a platform of broadening the Bloc beyond being a coalition of sovereigntists and had been endorsed by the rest of the party's caucus. On 12 August 2014,
840-545: A cabinet minister in the federal Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney . The Bloc seeks to create the conditions necessary for the political secession of Quebec from Canada and campaigns exclusively within the province during federal elections. The party has been described as social democratic and separatist (or "sovereigntist"). The Bloc supports the Kyoto Protocol , abortion rights , LGBTQ+ rights , legalization of assisted suicide , abolition of
945-411: A five-option referendum on their electoral system. In 1982, Guam had a referendum that used six options, with an additional blank option for those wishing to (campaign and) vote for their own seventh option. A multiple choice referendum poses the question of how the result is to be determined. They may be set up so that if no single option receives the support of an absolute majority (more than half) of
1050-591: A generally similar meaning in modern usage and comes from the Latin plebiscita , which originally meant a decree of the Concilium Plebis (Plebeian Council), the popular assembly of the Roman Republic . Today, a referendum can also often be referred to as a plebiscite, but in some countries the two terms are used differently to refer to votes with differing types of legal consequences. In Australia,
1155-596: A larger percentage of the vote than at the previous election. One factor was the forced merger of several major Quebec cities , such as Montreal , Quebec City and Hull / Gatineau . The merger was very unpopular in those areas, resulting in Liberal wins in several of the merged areas. This was still more than the number of seats the Liberals had won in Quebec. However, the Liberals won several subsequent by-elections during
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#17327650432711260-556: A lengthy meeting, the party's executive issued a statement supporting Ouellet's leadership but also stating that the seven rebels could keep their Bloc Québécois memberships and would not be expelled from the party for quitting the caucus, inviting them to return to the caucus in the future. A Léger Marketing poll conducted shortly after put the Bloc Quebecois at 12% among Quebec voters, its lowest rating ever. Following an election this would likely translate into zero seats, putting
1365-524: A list of sample choices ("Québécois" did not appear among the various sample choices). The ethnicity "Canadien" or Canadian, did appear as an example on the questionnaire, and was selected by 4.9 million people or 68.2% of the Quebec population. In the more detailed Ethnic Diversity Survey , Québécois was the most common ethnic identity in Quebec, reported by 37% of Quebec's population aged 15 years and older, either as their only identity or alongside other identities. The survey, based on interviews, asked
1470-559: A member of the provincial National Assembly of Quebec , as party leader. Ouellet is not a Member of Parliament and intended to see out her term in the provincial legislature until the next provincial election in October 2018. On 28 February 2018, seven of the Bloc's ten MPs quit the party's caucus to form the Groupe parlementaire québécois (later called Québec debout ) citing conflicts with Ouellet's leadership style and her insistence that
1575-409: A motivated minority of voters. Referendums may require a turnout threshold (also called a participation quorum) in order for the referendum to be considered legally valid. In a participation quorum a majority of those voting must approve of the referendum, and a certain percentage of population must have voted in order for the results to be approved. The usage of participation quorums in referendums
1680-547: A nation, compared with 38 per cent of English-speaking Canadians. As well, 78 per cent of 1,000 Québécois polled thought that Québécois should be recognized as a nation. The Québécois self-identify as an ethnic group in both the English and French versions of the Canadian census and in demographic studies of ethnicity in Canada. In the 2016 census, 74,575 chose Québécois as one of multiple responses with 119,985 choosing it as
1785-523: A new Quebec nationalism in the 1960s led to Québécois increasingly referring to provincial institutions as being national. This was reflected in the change of the provincial Legislative Assembly to National Assembly in 1968. Nationalism reached an apex in the 1970s and 1990s, with contentious constitutional debates resulting in close to half of all of French-speaking Québécois seeking recognition of nation status through tight referendums on Quebec sovereignty in 1980 and 1995. Having lost both referendums,
1890-409: A referendum are more likely to be driven by transient whims than by careful deliberation, or that they are not sufficiently informed to make decisions on complicated or technical issues. Also, voters might be swayed by propaganda , strong personalities, intimidation, and expensive advertising campaigns. James Madison argued that direct democracy is the " tyranny of the majority ". Some opposition to
1995-473: A referendum. Therefore avoid referendums. Therefore don't raise questions which require them, such as the big versus the little states. Some critics of the referendum attack the use of closed questions. A difficulty called the separability problem can plague a referendum on two or more issues. If one issue is in fact, or in perception, related to another on the ballot, the imposed simultaneous voting of first preference on each issue can result in an outcome which
2100-589: A relatively large number of Bloquistes was the first of The Three Periods , a plan intended to lay out the way to sovereignty created by PQ leader Jacques Parizeau . Parizeau became Premier of Quebec in the Quebec election of 1994 (the second of the Three Periods ). Because the Bloc was the official opposition, it had considerable privileges over the other parties although all of its MPs had been elected in one province. For instance, Question Periods during
2205-418: A request for dissolution arise, this should give you cause, as constitutional practice has determined, to consult the opposition leaders and consider all of your options before exercising your constitutional authority. On the same day the letter was written, the three party leaders held a joint press conference at which they expressed their intent to co-operate on changing parliamentary rules, and to request that
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#17327650432712310-736: A result, their identification with their ethnicity is weaker tending to have a more broad based cultural identification: for example, only 50% of third generation "Canadians" strongly identify as such, bringing down the overall average. The survey report notes that 80% of Canadians whose families had been in Canada for three or more generations reported "Canadian and provincial or regional ethnic identities". These identities include "Québécois" (37% of Quebec population), "Acadian" (6% of Atlantic provinces) and "Newfoundlander" (38% of Newfoundland and Labrador). French expressions employing "Québécois" often appear in both French and English. Referendum A referendum , plebiscite , or ballot measure
2415-539: A separate vote on each of the multiple options as well as an additional decision about which of the multiple options should be preferred. In the Swedish case, in both referendums the 'winning' option was chosen by the Single Member Plurality ("first past the post") system. In other words, the winning option was deemed to be that supported by a plurality , rather than an absolute majority, of voters. In
2520-467: A single response (194,555 as a combined response). In the 2001 Census of Canada, 98,670 Canadians, or just over 1% of the population of Quebec identified "Québécois" as their ethnicity, ranking "Québécois" as the 37th most common response. These results were based on a question on residents in each household in Canada: "To which ethnic or cultural group(s) did this person's ancestors belong?" , along with
2625-487: A speech in front of his supporters following the election, BQ leader Gilles Duceppe claimed to have achieved his objectives, adding: "without the Bloc Québécois tonight, Mr. Harper would have formed a majority government". At the end of November 2008, the Bloc indicated that it would support a possible motion of no confidence against the governing Conservatives by the two other opposition parties, and would support
2730-447: A strong sense of belonging. The generational profile and strength of identity of French New World ancestries contrast with those of British or Canadian ancestries, which represent the largest ethnic identities in Canada. Although deeply rooted Canadians express a deep attachment to their ethnic identity, most English-speaking Canadians of British ancestry generally cannot trace their ancestry as far back in Canada as French-speakers. As
2835-514: A territorial meaning for Québécois . Newspaper editor Lysiane Gagnon has referred to an ethnic sense of the word Québécois in both English and French. The name Québec comes from an Algonquin word meaning 'narrow passage' or 'strait'. The name originally referred to the area around Quebec City where the Saint Lawrence River narrows to a cliff-lined gap. French explorer Samuel de Champlain chose this name in 1608 for
2940-538: A vote simply on independence. The difference became moot when 50.6% of voters taking part in the referendum rejected the sovereignty plan. An overwhelming "Non" vote in Montreal tipped the balance. The day after the referendum, Parizeau announced his pending resignation as PQ leader and Premier of Quebec . Bouchard left federal politics and succeeded Parizeau in both posts on 26 January 1996. Following Bouchard's departure from Ottawa, Michel Gauthier became leader of
3045-470: A wave of support for the New Democratic Party . By 2014, the party had been reduced to two seats because of resignations and expulsions. In the 2015 election , the Bloc won 10 seats, even though the party's leader Gilles Duceppe failed to win a seat. In the 2019 election , the party won 32 seats, regaining official party status as a result. In the 2021 election , their seat count remained
3150-404: Is "fit for" doing. Its use as a noun in English is not considered a strictly grammatical usage of a foreign word but is rather a newly coined English noun, which follows English grammatical usage, not Latin grammatical usage. This determines the form of the plural in English, which according to English grammar should be "referendums". The use of "referenda" as a plural form in English (treating it as
3255-469: Is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives ) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy ) or advisory (functioning like a large-scale opinion poll ). 'Referendum' is the gerundive form of the Latin verb referre , literally "to carry back" (from the verb ferre , "to bear, bring, carry" plus
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3360-508: Is a class of referendum required to be voted on if certain conditions are met or for certain government actions to be taken. They do not require any signatures from the public. In areas that use referendums a mandatory referendum is commonly used as a legally required step for ratification for constitutional changes, ratifying international treaties and joining international organizations, and certain types of public spending. Typical types of mandatory referendums include: An optional referendum
3465-408: Is a class of referendums that is put to the vote as a result of a demand. This may come from the executive branch, legislative branch, or a request from the people (often after meeting a signature requirement). Types of optional referendums include: From a political-philosophical perspective, referendums are an expression of direct democracy , but today, most referendums need to be understood within
3570-453: Is a personal choice. Despite near-universal support in the House of Commons, several important dissenters criticized the motion. Intergovernmental Affairs minister Michael Chong resigned from his position and abstained from voting, arguing that this motion was too ambiguous and had the potential of recognizing a destructive ethnic nationalism in Canada. Liberals were the most divided on
3675-536: Is absent from Le Petit Larousse , also published in France, as well as from French dictionaries published in Canada such as Le Dictionnaire québécois d'aujourd'hui and Le Dictionnaire du français Plus , which indicate instead Québécois francophone "francophone Quebecer" in the linguistic sense. The online dictionary Grand dictionnaire terminologique of the Office québécois de la langue française mentions only
3780-468: Is argued as the reason why, since World War II , there has been no provision in Germany for the holding of referendums at the federal level. In recent years, referendums have been used strategically by several European governments trying to pursue political and electoral goals. In 1995, John Bruton considered that All governments are unpopular. Given the chance, people would vote against them in
3885-463: Is controversial, as higher requirements have been shown to reduced turnout and voter participation. With high participation quorums, the opposition of a referendum has an interest in abstaining from the vote instead of participating, in order to invalidate the referendum results through low turnout. This is a form of the no-show paradox . All others who are not voting for other reasons, including those with no opinion, are effectively also voting against
3990-661: Is displeasing to most. Several commentators have noted that the use of citizens' initiatives to amend constitutions has so tied the government to a jumble of popular demands as to render the government unworkable. A 2009 article in The Economist argued that this had restricted the ability of the California state government to tax the people and pass the budget, and called for an entirely new Californian constitution. A similar problem also arises when elected governments accumulate excessive debts. That can severely reduce
4095-416: The 2009 Western Australian daylight saving referendum ). Historically, they are used by Australians interchangeably and a plebiscite was considered another name for a referendum. In Ireland, 'plebiscite' referred to the vote to adopt its constitution, but a subsequent vote to amend the constitution is called a 'referendum', as is a poll of the electorate on a non-constitutional bill. The name and use of
4200-612: The 2011 federal election , in the wake of a surge of support for the New Democratic Party, the Bloc received less than a quarter of the popular vote in Quebec (and less than 6% of the national vote). It lost 44 of the 47 seats it held at parliament's dissolution, and only added one seat, which had been vacated by a Bloc Québécois member six months prior to the election. The seats lost included that of Duceppe, who resigned as party president and leader. It also lost all but one of its seats in Montreal. By winning only four seats,
4305-714: The Canadian Senate , abolition of the monarchy , the Quebec Secularism law , and supports exempting Quebec from the requirements of the Multiculturalism Act . From the 1993 federal election until 2011, the Bloc was the largest party in Quebec and either the second- or third-largest party in the House of Commons through seven straight federal elections. The 2011 election saw the party win just four seats and lose official party status after
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4410-643: The Canadian province of Quebec . Sometimes, it is used more generally to refer to any inhabitant of Quebec. It can refer to French spoken in Quebec . It may also be used, with an upper- or lower-case initial, as an adjective relating to Quebec, or to the French-Canadian culture of Quebec . A resident or native of Quebec is often referred to in English as a Quebecer or Quebecker. In French, Québécois or Québécoise usually refers to any native or resident of Quebec. Its use became more prominent in
4515-770: The NDP to become the third largest party in Canada and regaining official party status . In the 2021 Canadian federal election , the BQ led by Blanchet won 32 seats, unchanged from the prior election. The Bloc Québécois held a leadership confidence vote in May 2023. Blanchet won 97% of the vote. In September 2024, the BQ won a competitive by-election in LaSalle—Émard—Verdun in Montreal . Qu%C3%A9b%C3%A9cois people Self-identification as Québécois became dominant starting in
4620-667: The Quiet Revolution of the 1960s. The predominant French Canadian nationalism and identity of previous generations was based on the protection of the French language , the Roman Catholic Church , and Church-run institutions across Canada and in parts of the United States. In contrast, the modern Québécois identity is secular and based on a social democratic ideal of an active Quebec government promoting
4725-414: The previous parliament was dissolved. In that election, they used the slogan " Présent pour le Québec " ("Present for Quebec"). Although they made small gains in relation to the number of seats at dissolution, they fell by 2 seats to 49 in comparison to the 51 they received in 2006. Also, the proportion of popular votes in the province was down 4 points to 38.1%, the Bloc's lowest score since 1997. In
4830-544: The sponsorship scandal . The Bloc continued to slide in most of the 2003 opinion polls following the 2003 Quebec election which was won by the federalist Quebec Liberal Party led by Jean Charest . However, things changed during the winter of 2003. The federalist Charest government lost popularity. Then, in February 2004, the Auditor General of Canada uncovered the sponsorship scandal , suggesting illegality in
4935-535: The 'referendum' is thought to have originated in the Swiss canton of Graubünden as early as the 16th century. After a reduction in the number of referendums in the Mid-twentieth century, the referendum as a political tool has been increasing in popularity since the 1970s. This increase has been attributed to dealignment of the public with political parties, as specific policy issues became more important to
5040-599: The 1960s as French Canadians from Quebec increasingly self-identified as Québécois. English expressions employing the term may imply specific reference to francophones; examples include "Québécois music","a Québécois rocker" or "Québécois literature" . The dictionary Le Petit Robert , published in France, states that the adjective québécois , in addition to its territorial meaning, may refer specifically to francophone or French Canadian culture in Quebec. The dictionary gives as examples cinéma québécois and littérature québécoise . However, an ethnic or linguistic sense
5145-468: The 1960s; prior to this, the francophone people of Quebec mostly identified themselves as French Canadians and as Canadiens before anglophones started identifying as Canadians as well. A majority in the House of Commons of Canada in 2006 approved a motion tabled by Prime Minister Stephen Harper , which stated that the Québécois are a nation within a united Canada. Harper later elaborated that
5250-574: The 1977 Australian referendum, the winner was chosen by the system of preferential instant-runoff voting (IRV). Polls in Newfoundland (1949) and Guam (1982), for example, were counted under a form of the two-round system , and an unusual form of TRS was used in the 1992 New Zealand poll. Although California has not held multiple-choice referendums in the Swiss or Swedish sense (in which only one of several counter-propositions can be victorious, and
5355-429: The 2004 federal election, Stephen Harper privately met with BQ leader Gilles Duceppe and New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton in a Montreal hotel. On 9 September 2004, the three signed a letter addressed to then- Governor General Adrienne Clarkson , stating, We respectfully point out that the opposition parties, who together constitute a majority in the House, have been in close consultation. We believe that, should
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#17327650432715460-493: The 35th Parliament convened, Bouchard announced that Bloquiste MPs would only speak French on the floor of the House of Commons, a policy that remains in force to this day. This was out of necessity; although Bouchard and most of the Bloc's founding members were fluently bilingual in French and English, Bouchard had discovered that most of his large caucus could not speak English well enough to use it in debate. The election of such
5565-428: The 35th Parliament were dominated by issues of national unity. However, the governing Liberals regarded Reform as their main opposition on non-Quebec matters. Also, in 1995, when Bouchard garnered an invitation to meet visiting US President Bill Clinton by virtue of being Opposition Leader, Reform leader Preston Manning was also given a meeting with Clinton in order to defuse Bouchard's separatist leverage. In 1995,
5670-481: The 41st Parliament convened on 2 June 2011, Plamondon became the Bloc's interim parliamentary leader. Vivian Barbot served as interim leader and party president following Duceppe's resignation until the party's 2011 leadership election. The Bloc Québécois leadership election campaign to choose a permanent successor to Duceppe began on 17 September 2011 and concluded on 11 December with the election of former MP for Hochelaga Daniel Paillé as party leader. Plamondon,
5775-477: The Bloc . In the wake of the referendum defeat, Gauthier proved unable to hold the fractious caucus together and resigned as leader just one year later. Gilles Duceppe, who had served as interim leader between Bouchard and Gauthier, became leader of the Bloc in 1997. In the 1997 federal election , the Bloc Québécois dropped to 44 seats, losing official opposition status to the Reform Party. The 1997–2000 term
5880-411: The Bloc Québécois has been supported by a wide range of voters in Quebec, from sections of organized labour to more conservative rural voters. Members and supporters are known in French as bloquistes ( pronounced [blɔkist] ). An incomplete list of Bloc Québécois political positions. Among other things the Bloc Québécois has advocated: During the 2015 Canadian federal election ,
5985-401: The Bloc Québécois resolution came to a vote. The English version changed the word Quebecer to Québécois and added "within a united Canada" at the end of the Bloc motion. The "Québécois nation" was recognized by the House of Commons of Canada on November 27, 2006. The Prime Minister specified that the motion used the "cultural" and "sociological" as opposed to the "legal" sense of
6090-417: The Bloc Québécois supported banning the face covering during the citizenship ceremony and voting , aimed at Muslim women who wear the niqab . The Bloc Québécois was formed in 1990 as an informal coalition of Progressive Conservative and Liberal Members of Parliament from Quebec, who left their original parties around the time of the defeat of the Meech Lake Accord . The party was intended to be temporary and
6195-515: The Bloc failed to reach the minimum of 12 seats required for official party status in the House of Commons. MPs without official party status are treated as independents and must sit in the back row of the opposition benches. They are permitted just a few questions each week in question period and cannot sit as voting members on parliamentary committees. Elected to Parliament in this election were incumbents Louis Plamondon , André Bellavance , Maria Mourani and rookie MP Jean-François Fortin . When
6300-454: The Bloc losing eight seats to the Tories. Coupled with an additional loss to André Arthur , an independent candidate, the Bloc recorded a net loss of three seats. The Conservative Party won a plurality of seats in the House of Commons, thus forming a minority government . There was persistent speculation as to the possibility of the Bloc forming alliances with other opposition parties to wrest
6405-523: The Bloc rejoined the party and dissolved their breakaway group, Québec debout . As the only candidate to have entered the race by 15 January 2019 deadline, former Parti Québécois cabinet minister Yves-François Blanchet was named leader on 17 January 2019. Since Blanchet became leader the BQ has seen their support increasing in Quebec during the 2019 federal election which some considered to have exceeded expectations. The BQ increased its number of seats from 10 in 2015, to 32 seats in 2019, both over taking
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#17327650432716510-478: The Bloc should emphasize promoting Quebec independence over "defending Quebec's interests". Three MPs remained in the Bloc's caucus: Mario Beaulieu ( La Pointe-de-l'Île ), Xavier Barsalou-Duval ( Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères ), and Marilène Gill ( Manicouagan ). More than 20 ex-Bloc MPs, including Gilles Duceppe , issued an open letter supporting the seven current MPs who had resigned from caucus and demanding Ouellet's resignation. Nevertheless, after
6615-900: The British Government the Quebec Act , which gave Canadiens most of the territory they held before 1763; the right of religion; and their right of language and culture. The British Government did this to in order to keep their loyalty, in the face of a growing menace of independence from the 13 original British colonies. As shown by the 2016 Statistics Canada census, 58.3% of residents of Quebec identify their ethnicity as Canadian , 23.5% as French and 0.4% as Acadian . Roughly 2.3% of residents, or 184,005 people, describe their ethnicity as Québécois . The term became more common in English as Québécois largely replacing French Canadian as an expression of cultural and national identity among French Canadians living in Quebec during
6720-854: The French language and French-speaking culture in the arts, education, and business within the Province of Quebec . Politically, this resulted in a push towards more autonomy for Quebec and an internal debate on Quebec independence and identity that continues to this day. The emphasis on the French language and Quebec autonomy means that French-speakers across Canada now self-identify more specifically with provincial or regional identity-tags, such as acadienne , or franco-canadienne , franco-manitobaine , franco-ontarienne or fransaskoise . Terms such as Franco-Ontarian and Franco-Manitoban are still predominant. Francophones and anglophones use many terms when discussing issues of francophone linguistic and cultural identity in English. The political shift towards
6825-473: The House of Commons, tying its previous record from the 1993 campaign. For the 2006 election , the Bloc used the slogan Heureusement, ici, c'est le Bloc! ("Fortunately, the Bloc is here!"). The Bloc were expected to easily win more than 60 seats at the start of the campaign, and they did in fact take six seats from the Liberals. However, the unexpected surge of the new Conservative Party of Canada in parts of Quebec, particularly in and around Quebec City, led to
6930-569: The PQ government called the second referendum on independence in Quebec history . The Bloc entered the campaign for the Oui (Yes) side (in favour of sovereignty). The Oui side's campaign had a difficult beginning, so the leadership of the campaign was shifted from PQ leader Jacques Parizeau to Bloc leader Lucien Bouchard. Bouchard was seen as more charismatic and more moderate, and therefore more likely to attract voters. A "tripartite agreement" mapping out
7035-596: The Parti Québécois tabled a motion that was unanimously adopted in the National Assembly affirming that the Quebec people formed a nation. Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe scheduled a similar motion in the House of Commons for November 23, 2006, that would have recognized "Quebecers as a nation". Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper tabled the Québécois nation motion the day before
7140-434: The announcement of Ouellet's resignation, MPs Michel Boudrias and Simon Marcil announced they would rejoin the party, while party president and MP Mario Beaulieu was named Ouelett's successor on an interim basis until her successor could be chosen. On 22 August 2018, as part of an agreement to reunite the party, Beaulieu ceded the party presidency to Yves Perron; on 17 September 2018, the remaining MPs who had defected from
7245-511: The caucus was reduced to three MPs when the Bloc's interim parliamentary leader, Jean-François Fortin , quit the party to sit as an independent saying that the Bloc Québécois he had joined no longer exists and that Beaulieu had destroyed its credibility. On 25 August 2014, former interim parliamentary leader and failed leadership contender André Bellavance also resigned, reducing the Bloc to two MPs – one of whom, Claude Patry , had announced that he would not run for re-election. On 31 December 2014,
7350-591: The colonial outpost he would use as the administrative seat for the French colony of Canada and New France . The Province of Quebec was first founded as a British colony in the Royal Proclamation of 1763 after the Treaty of Paris formally transferred the French colony of New France to Britain after the Seven Years' War . Quebec City remained the capital. In 1774, Guy Carleton obtained from
7455-485: The context of representative democracy . They tend to be used quite selectively, covering issues such as changes in voting systems, where currently elected officials may not have the legitimacy or inclination to implement such changes. Since the end of the 18th century, hundreds of national referendums have been organised in the world; almost 600 national votes have been held in Switzerland since its inauguration as
7560-519: The effective margin for later governments. Both these problems can be moderated by a combination of other measures as Referendums occur occasionally rather than periodically as elections are and they don’t offer the same kind of formal opposition. Because referendums affect for a longer term than legislative deliberation, a turnout and supermajority requirement is necessary to maintain principles of majoritarianism. In republic polities, referendums could be used to bypass legislatures and representatives by
7665-541: The following questions: "1) I would now like to ask you about your ethnic ancestry, heritage or background. What were the ethnic or cultural origins of your ancestors? 2) In addition to "Canadian", what were the other ethnic or cultural origins of your ancestors on first coming to North America?" This survey did not list possible choices of ancestry and permitted multiple answers. In census ethnic surveys, French-speaking Canadians identify their ethnicity most often as French , Canadien , Québécois , or French Canadian , with
7770-519: The government away from the Conservatives. Duceppe, whose leadership was confirmed after the election, maintained that the Bloc would continue to co-operate with other opposition parties or with the government when this advantaged Quebec, but would not participate in a federal government. Gilles Duceppe announced on 11 May 2007 that he would run for the leadership of the Parti Québécois to replace André Boisclair , who resigned on 8 May 2007, after
7875-648: The government in May 1990 in response to the report of a commission headed by Jean Charest that suggested changes to the Meech Lake Accord. Bouchard felt the recommendations for change undermined the objectives and spirit of the accord. According to The Secret Mulroney Tapes he was fired by Prime Minister Mulroney. Bouchard was joined by five of his fellow Tories ( Nic Leblanc , Louis Plamondon , Benoît Tremblay , Gilbert Chartrand , and François Gérin ), along with two Liberals ( Gilles Rocheleau and Jean Lapierre ). The first Bloquiste candidate to be elected
7980-463: The governor general consult with them before deciding to call an election. At the news conference, Harper said: "It is the Parliament that's supposed to run the country, not just the largest party and the single leader of that party. That's a criticism I've had and that we've had and that most Canadians have had for a long, long time now so this is an opportunity to start to change that." However, at
8085-484: The inseparable prefix re- , here meaning "back" ). As a gerundive is an adjective , not a noun , it cannot be used alone in Latin, and must be contained within a context attached to a noun such as Propositum quod referendum est populo , "A proposal which must be carried back to the people". The addition of the verb sum (3rd person singular, est ) to a gerundive, denotes the idea of necessity or compulsion, that which "must" be done, rather than that which
8190-591: The issue and represented 15 of the 16 votes against the motion. Liberal MP Ken Dryden summarized the view of many of these dissenters, maintaining that it was a game of semantics that cheapened issues of national identity. A survey by Leger Marketing in November 2006 showed that Canadians were deeply divided on this issue. When asked if Québécois are a nation, only 53 per cent of Canadians agreed, 47 per cent disagreed, with 33 per cent strongly disagreeing; 78 per cent of French-speaking Canadians agreed that Québécois are
8295-847: The latter three referred to by Jantzen (2005) as "French New World" ancestries because they originate in Canada. Jantzen (2005) distinguishes the English Canadian , meaning "someone whose family has been in Canada for multiple generations", and the French Canadien , used to refer to descendants of the original settlers of New France in the 17th and 18th centuries. Those reporting "French New World" ancestries overwhelmingly had ancestors that went back at least 4 generations in Canada: specifically, 90% of Québécois traced their ancestry back this far. Fourth generation Canadiens and Québécois showed considerable attachment to their ethno-cultural group, with 70% and 61% respectively reporting
8400-458: The life of the 37th Parliament, until the Liberals had held the majority of Quebec's seats in the Commons for the first time since the 1984 federal election . From then to the subsequent election, the Bloc continued to denounce the federal government's interventions in what the Bloc saw as exclusively provincial jurisdictions. The Bloc credits its actions for the uncovering of what has since become
8505-444: The longest-serving member of the Commons, served as parliamentary leader during Paillé's tenure as he did not have a seat. On 28 February 2013, Claude Patry defected from the New Democratic Party and joined the Bloc, citing his disagreement with the New Democratic Party on the subject of Quebec sovereignty, bringing the party's total seats in Parliament up to five. The caucus fell back to four MPs on 12 September 2013 when Mourani,
8610-682: The losing proposals are wholly null and void), it does have so many yes-or-no referendums at each election day that conflicts arise. The State's constitution provides a method for resolving conflicts when two or more inconsistent propositions are passed on the same day. This is a de facto form of approval voting —i.e. the proposition with the most "yes" votes prevails over the others to the extent of any conflict. Other voting systems that could be used in multiple-choice referendum are Condorcet method and quadratic voting (including quadratic funding ). Quorums are typically introduced to prevent referendum results from being skewed by low turnout or decided by
8715-406: The motion's definition of Québécois relies on personal decisions to self-identify as Québécois, and therefore is a personal choice. Québécois (pronounced [kebekwa] ); feminine : Québécoise (pronounced [kebekwaz] ), Quebecois (fem.: Quebecoise ), or Québecois (fem.: Québecoise ) is a word used primarily to refer to a French-speaking inhabitant of
8820-548: The party's only remaining member from Montreal, was expelled for her comments criticizing the Parti Québécois government's proposed Charter of Quebec Values. Paillé stepped down as leader on 16 December 2013 because of health reasons. A leadership election was held the following June. Hardliner Mario Beaulieu , a former president of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste who had never been either
8925-467: The party's vice president, Annie Lessard, resigned after a personality conflict with leader Mario Beaulieu. With two seats left in parliament, and with the party languishing in the polls a few months before an expected election campaign, it was announced 10 June 2015 that Gilles Duceppe would be returning to lead the party into the campaign; Beaulieu would relinquish the leadership but remain party president. The party executive agreed on 9 June 2015, to split
9030-476: The plan for accession to independence was written and signed by the leaders of the Parti Québécois, the Bloc Québécois and the Action démocratique du Québec on 12 June 1995. It revived René Lévesque 's notion that the referendum should be followed by the negotiating of an association agreement between an independent Quebec and the rest of Canada. This provision was inspired by Bouchard. Parizeau had previously wanted
9135-454: The poor performance in the March 2007 Quebec provincial election and internal dissent forced him to step down. Duceppe announced the next day that he was withdrawing from the race, and that he would support Pauline Marois who had also announced her intention to run. The Bloc made slight gains following the 2008 federal elections as they won 49 seats, one more than the number they had before
9240-452: The positions of president and party leader in order to facilitate Duceppe's return. The changes were approved by the party's general council on 1 July. During the 2015 federal election , the Bloc Québécois had hoped to pick up seats from the collapsing NDP vote; however, most Quebecers instead switched their allegiance to the Liberals and Conservatives rather than back to the Bloc. While the Bloc managed to win 10 seats, more than twice that of
9345-464: The previous election, it was not enough to gain official party status. The party's share of the popular vote in Quebec fell to 19%, its lowest point up until that time. As in 2011, Duceppe failed to win his own seat, and resigned again as party leader. The party was led on an interim basis by Rhéal Fortin until the Bloc Québécois leadership election in March 2017 acclaimed Martine Ouellet ,
9450-458: The public than party identifiers. The term "referendum" covers a variety of different meanings, and the terminology is different depending on the us that holds them. A referendum can be binding or advisory. In some countries, different names are used for these two types of referendum. Referendums can be further classified by who initiates them. David Altman proposes four dimensions that referendums can be classified by: A mandatory referendum
9555-522: The referendum has arisen from its use by dictators such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini who, it is argued, used the plebiscite to disguise oppressive policies as populism . Dictators may also make use of referendums as well as show elections to further legitimize their authority such as António de Oliveira Salazar in 1933 ; Benito Mussolini in 1934 ; Adolf Hitler in 1934 , 1936 ; Francisco Franco in 1947 ; Park Chung Hee in 1972 ; and Ferdinand Marcos in 1973 . Hitler's use of plebiscites
9660-881: The referendum to take place. In one such challenge, in 2017, the Spanish Constitutional Court suspended the Catalonia 's independence referendum . In post-referendum disputes, they challenge the result. British courts dismissed post-referendum challenges of the Brexit referendum. International tribunals have traditionally not interfered with referendum disputes. In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights extended its jurisdiction to referendums in its judgment Toplak and Mrak v. Slovenia , initiated by two disabled voters over polling place access . In Political Governance states that voters in
9765-499: The referendum. In the 2005 Italian fertility laws referendum , opposition to the proposed loosening of laws on research on embryos and on allowing in-vitro fertilization , campaigned for people to abstain from voting to drive down turnout. Although a majority of people voted yes for the changes in the law, the results were invalid because participation was low. Important referendums are frequently challenged in courts. In pre-referendum disputes, plaintiffs have often tried to prevent
9870-465: The resulting Liberal-NDP coalition government at least until June 2010, without actually being part of the government. On 26 March 2011, Bloc Québécois leader Duceppe stated that Conservative leader Stephen Harper had in 2004 tried to form a coalition government with the Bloc and NDP in response to Harper's allegations that the Liberals intended to form a coalition with the Bloc and the NDP. Two months after
9975-472: The same as the 2019 election. Due to the 2019 and 2021 elections resulting in a Liberal minority government, the Bloc shares the balance of power with the New Democratic Party . The Bloc has strong informal ties to the Parti Québécois (PQ, whose members are known as Péquistes ), a provincial party that advocates for the secession of Quebec from Canada and its independence, but the two are not linked organizationally. As with its provincial counterpart,
10080-514: The sovereigntist Parti Québécois government renewed the push for recognition as a nation through symbolic motions that gained the support of all parties in the National Assembly. They affirmed the right to determine the independent status of Quebec. They also renamed the area around Quebec City the Capitale-Nationale (national capital) region and renamed provincial parks Parcs Nationaux (national parks). In opposition in October 2003,
10185-570: The spending of federal monies in Quebec in support of Canadian unity. As well, the Liberal government of Jean Chrétien passed party financing legislation that resulted in the Bloc receiving millions of dollars in subsidies that helped to stabilize its organization. For the 2004 election , the Bloc adopted the slogan Un parti propre au Québec , a play on words that can be translated either as "A party of Quebec's own" ("a party proper to Quebec") or as "A clean party in Quebec". The Bloc won 54 seats in
10290-460: The survival of the party into question for the 2019 federal election . A leadership review referendum was held on Ouellet's leadership on 1 and 2 June 2018 resulting in the party membership rejecting her leadership by 67%, while a proposal that the party prioritize Quebec independence on a daily basis above all other issues also passed with 65% support. Ouellet subsequently announced her resignation as party leader effective 11 June 2018. Following
10395-781: The time, Harper and the two other opposition leaders denied trying to form a coalition government, despite the letter written to the governor general. Harper said, "This is not a coalition, but this is a co-operative effort." One month later, on 4 October 2004, journalist Mike Duffy , (later appointed as a Conservative senator by Harper in December 2008), said "It is possible that you could change prime minister without having an election", and that some Conservatives wanted Harper as prime minister. The next day Layton walked out on talks with Harper and Duceppe, accusing them of trying to replace Paul Martin with Harper as prime minister. Both Bloc and Conservative officials denied Layton's accusations. In
10500-678: The votes, resort can be made to the two-round system or instant-runoff voting , which is also called IRV and PV. In 2018 the Irish Citizens' Assembly considered the conduct of future referendums in Ireland , with 76 of the members in favour of allowing more than two options, and 52% favouring preferential voting in such cases. Other people regard a non-majoritarian methodology like the Modified Borda Count (MBC) as more inclusive and more accurate. Swiss referendums offer
10605-407: The word "nation" . According to Harper, the motion was of a symbolic political nature, representing no constitutional change, no recognition of Quebec sovereignty, and no legal change in its political relations within the federation. The Prime Minister has further elaborated, stating that the motion's definition of Québécois relies on personal decisions to self-identify as Québécois, and therefore
10710-399: Was Gilles Duceppe , then a union organizer, in a by-election for the Montreal riding of Laurier—Sainte-Marie on 13 August 1990. He ran as an independent, since the Bloc had not been registered as a federal party. In the 1993 federal election , the Bloc won 54 seats (out of 75) in Quebec, sweeping nearly all of the francophone ridings. Because the opposition vote in the rest of Canada
10815-593: Was given the goal of the promotion of sovereignty at the federal level. The party aimed to disband following a successful referendum on secession from Canada. As with most parties, it has gained and lost prominent supporters over the years. The initial coalition that led to the Bloc was headed by Lucien Bouchard , who had been federal Minister of the Environment in the Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney . Bouchard abandoned
10920-614: Was marked by the Bloc's fight against the passage of the Clarity Act , the attempt by Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien (himself a Quebecer who represented a strongly nationalist riding) and Stéphane Dion , a Quebec minister in Chrétien's cabinet, to codify the Supreme Court of Canada 's 1998 decision that Quebec could not secede unilaterally. In the 2000 election , the Bloc dropped further to 38 seats, despite polling
11025-616: Was split between the Reform Party , the Progressive Conservative Party, and the New Democratic Party , the Bloc narrowly won the second largest number of seats in the House of Commons, and therefore became the official opposition . While Reform finished second in the national popular vote, the Bloc's heavy concentration of support in Quebec was slightly larger than Reform's concentration in the West. Soon after
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