Union Nationale
|
|
Union_Nationale_Logo.jpg
The Union Nationale was a political party in Quebec, Canada, that identified with conservative French-Canadian nationalism. It notably held power in Quebec uninterrupted from 1944 to 1960, under the leadership of Premier Maurice Duplessis.
| Contents |
Rise to power
The party was created when a group of nationalist Liberals who had quit the Parti libéral du Québec in 1934 to form the Action libérale nationale (ALN) joined with the Parti conservateur du Québec (Conservative Party, led by Duplessis), to form the Union Nationale. Because the Union Nationale was launched only two weeks before the election, the ALN and Conservatives ran separately in the 1935 Quebec election but did not compete against each other. The ALN won 25 seats and the Conservatives won 17.
Although the ALN had won a larger share of the vote and more seats than Duplessis's Conservatives in 1935, it was Duplessis who took the leadership of the UN and dominated it. Although ALN leader Paul Gouin had a falling out with Duplessis and withdrew his support, most members of the ALN caucus sided with Duplessis, and the new Union Nationale party was formally created to run in the 1936 election, which it won.
The Union Nationale was strongly aligned with the clergy in the province, and dominated Quebec politics during the Duplessis years using repressive measures such as the Padlock Law to suppress opposition and particularly the trade unions.
The victory of Jean Lesage's Liberals in the 1960 election ushered in the Quiet Revolution. While the Union Nationale won power once more in 1966 under Daniel Johnson, the province had changed irrevocably. The party was not able to modernize itself and adapt to the changes in Quebec society.
The party collapsed in the years following the death of Johnson in 1968. Johnson's successor Jean-Jacques Bertrand was unable to inspire voters, and his party was decisively defeated in the 1970 election. It won no seats in the National Assembly of Quebec in the 1973 election, despite collecting 5% of the popular vote.
Decline
From October 25, 1971 to January 14, 1973, the party was known as Unité Québec.
In 1974, Maurice Bellemare won a by-election, and the party once again had a member in the National Assembly.
On May 31, 1975, the party merged with the tiny Parti présidentiel, led by Yvon Brochu, under the Union Nationale name.
Although the Union Nationale made a modest recovery in the 1976 election, winning 11 seats and 18.2% of the popular vote, it never won another seat in any subsequent election. Mounting demands for Quebec's independence from Canada had resulted in the nationalist vote moving towards the new separatist Parti Quebecois, winner of the 1976 election.
On March 3, 1980, its leader Rodrigue Biron quit the party to sit as an independent, and joined the Parti Quebecois on November 11. He was replaced as leader by Michel Lemoignan (Gaspé).
On January 9, 1981, federal Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Roch LaSalle was acclaimed leader of the Union Nationale. Following his failure to win election to the National Assembly, he resigned as leader, and returned to federal Parliament as a PC MP by winning a federal by-election that was called as a result of his resignation.
Deregistration
On June 19, 1989, Pierre F. Côté, the Director General of Elections for the Province of Quebec, withdrew the party's registration, bringing an end to the party after over 50 years as a political force in the province. As a result of this decision, it was no longer be able to receive contributions or make expenditures. the next day, the interim leader of the party, Michel Lebrun, told a reporter that he would contest the decision before the Quebec Superior Court, arguing that the decision was unfair, and a violation of the Canadian and Quebec charters of rights and freedoms. It was the first time in Quebec that a party had lost its official status as a result of its debts. (Source: www.Radio-Canada.ca (http://archives.radio-canada.ca/IDC-0-17-1343-8046-20/souvenirs/politique_economie/fin_union_nationale)
Although an attempt was made to revive the Union Nationale in 1999, the party no longer exists.
Leaders
Duplessis_and_the_Church.jpg
- Maurice Duplessis (1935-1959) (premier 1936-1939, 1944-1959)
- Paul Sauvé (1959-1960) (premier 1959-1960)
- Antonio Barrette (1960) (premier 1960)
- Yves Prévost (interim) (1960-1961)
- Antonio Talbot (interim) (1961)
- Daniel Johnson, Sr. (1961-1968) (premier 1966-1968)
- Jean-Jacques Bertrand (1968-1971) (premier 1968-1970)
- Gabriel Loubier (1971-1974)
- Maurice Bellemare (parliamentary Leader) (1974-1976)
- Rodrigue Biron (1976-1980)
- Michel Lemoignan (interim) (1980 - 1981)
- Roch LaSalle (1981)
- Jean-Marc Béliveau (1981-1986)
- Paul Poulin (1986-1987)
- Michel Lebrun (1987-1989)
See also
- Unité-Québec
- Parti conservateur du Québec
- Politics of Quebec
- List of Quebec general elections
- List of Quebec premiers
- List of Quebec leaders of the Opposition
- National Assembly of Quebec
- Timeline of Quebec history
- Political parties in Quebec
External links
- National Assembly historical information (http://www.assnat.qc.ca/fra/patrimoine/)
- La Politique québécoise sur le Web (http://www.quebecpolitique.com/)fr:Union nationale