The Bloc Québécois 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 a cabinet minister in the federal Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney.
The Parti Québécois is a sovereignist and social democratic provincial political party in Quebec,Canada. The PQ advocates national sovereignty for Quebec involving independence of the province of Quebec from Canada and establishing a sovereign state. The PQ has also promoted the possibility of maintaining a loose political and economic sovereignty-association between Quebec and Canada. The party traditionally has support from the labour movement;however,unlike most other social democratic parties,its ties with organized labour are informal. Members and supporters of the PQ are nicknamed péquistes,a French word derived from the pronunciation of the party's initials.
Gilles Duceppe is a retired Canadian politician,proponent of the Quebec sovereignty movement and former leader of the Bloc Québécois. He was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada for over 20 years and was the leader of the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois for 15 years in three stints:1996,1997-2011 and in 2015. He was Leader of the Official Opposition in the Parliament of Canada from March 17,1997,to June 1,1997. He resigned as party leader after the 2011 election,in which he lost his own seat to New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate Hélène Laverdière and his party suffered a heavy defeat;however,he returned four years later to lead the party into the 2015 election. After being defeated in his own riding by Laverdière again,he resigned once more.
Jacques Parizeau was a Canadian politician and Québécois economist who was a noted Quebec sovereigntist and the 26th premier of Quebec from September 26,1994,to January 29,1996.
Bernard Landry was a Canadian politician who served as the 28th premier of Quebec from 2001 to 2003. A member of the Parti Québécois (PQ),he led the party from 2001 to 2005,also serving as the leader of the Opposition from 2003 to 2005.
The politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces,namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of Quebec is Quebec City,where the Lieutenant Governor,Premier,the legislature,and cabinet reside.
AndréBachand is a Canadian politician,who represented the riding of Richmond—Arthabaska as member of the Progressive Conservatives from 1997 to 2003.
John George Lynch-Staunton was a Canadian senator,who served as interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada,from December 2003 to March 2004. He represented the Senate division of Grandville,Quebec. Lynch-Staunton was the first Senator to lead a federal political party since Arthur Meighen from 1941 to 1942.
Pierre Claude Nolin was a Canadian politician and senator. A prominent member of the Conservative Party of Canada from 2004 until his death,he became an influential figure in the Party's parliamentary caucus.
George J. Furey is a Canadian politician who served as the speaker of the Senate of Canada from 2015 to 2023. Furey was appointed as a senator from Newfoundland and Labrador in 1999 and was the longest-serving member of the Senate at the time of his retirement.
Louis Plamondon is a Canadian politician who served as the interim speaker of the House of Commons of Canada from September 27 to October 3,2023. A member of the Bloc Québécois,he has represented Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel since 1984. As the longest-serving current member of the House of Commons,Plamondon is Dean of the House,and holds the record as Canada's longest-serving dean.
François Legault is a Canadian politician serving as the 32nd premier of Quebec since 2018. A founding member of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ),he has led the party since it began in 2011. Legault sits as a member of the National Assembly (MNA) for the Lanaudière region riding of L'Assomption. Legault's ongoing tenure of 5 years,342 days,as premier is the ninth-longest in Quebec history.
Denis Lebel is a Canadian politician who served as mayor of Roberval,Quebec,and deputy leader of the Official Opposition. Lebel was born in Roberval,Quebec.
Louise Laurin was an educator and activist in Quebec. She was a prominent supporter of both secular education and Quebec sovereignty.
Albert Khelfa is a former Canadian politician. Khelfa served in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1985 to 1994 as a member of the Liberal Party.
Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu is a retired Canadian politician and victim's rights activist,who was appointed to the Senate of Canada on January 29,2010,on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper,representing the province of Quebec under the banner of the Conservative Party of Canada. He retired from the Senate on February 12,2024,upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75.
The 41st Canadian Parliament was in session from June 2,2011 to August 2,2015,with the membership of its House of Commons having been determined by the results of the 2011 federal election held on May 2,2011. Parliament convened on June 2,2011,with the election of Andrew Scheer as Speaker,followed the next day with the Speech from the Throne. There were two sessions in this Parliament. On August 2,2015,Prime Minister Stephen Harper asked the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and issue the writ of election,leading to an 11-week election campaign period for the 2015 federal election. Significant legislation adopted during the 41st Parliament included the Copyright Modernization Act,the Safe Streets and Communities Act,the Jobs,Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act,the Jobs and Growth Act and the Fair Elections Act.
Pierre Bélanger is a Canadian lawyer and politician in the province of Quebec. Bélanger was a Parti Québécois (PQ) member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 1992 to 1998 and was a cabinet minister in the government of Lucien Bouchard.
The 2014 Quebec general election was held on April 7,2014 to elect members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The incumbent Parti Québécois which had won a minority government in 2012 was defeated by the Quebec Liberal Party under Philippe Couillard who won a majority government of 70 seats,while the incumbent Parti Québécois finished second with 30 seats,becoming the first single-term government since Jean-Jacques Bertrand's Union Nationale government was defeated in 1970. Pauline Marois electoral defeat marked the shortest stay of any Quebec provincial government since the Canadian Confederation. It marked the lowest seat total for the Parti Québécois since 1989 and its smallest share of the popular vote since its inaugural run in 1970,as Premier Pauline Marois lost her own riding. The Coalition Avenir Québec under François Legault made minor gains in terms of seats despite receiving a smaller share of the popular vote than in the previous election. Québec solidaire won an additional seat,though co-spokesperson Andrés Fontecilla failed to win his riding. This election saw the return of the Liberals to power 2 years after their defeat in 2012. To date this is the last election where the Liberal Party won a majority of seats in the Quebec Assembly.
The 2021 Conservative Party of Quebec leadership election took place on April 17,2021 to elect a leader to replace Adrien D. Pouliot,who tendered his resignation on October 16,2020 to focus on his business ventures. The election was won by radio host and columnist Éric Duhaime.
