Quebec referendum of 1995
The Quebec referendum of 1995 was a pivotal moment in Canada's political history, centered on the question of Quebec's sovereignty. Sparked by a rise in French Canadian nationalism in the early 1990s, the referendum followed a series of events, including the 1980 referendum's ambiguous results and discontent surrounding the Constitution Act of 1982. On June 12, 1995, the Parti Québécois, led by Jacques Parizeau, announced a referendum scheduled for October 30, aiming to gain independence for Quebec. The campaign was marked by intense emotional debates, with prominent figures advocating both for and against secession, leading to a remarkably high voter turnout of 93.5%. Ultimately, the referendum resulted in a narrow defeat for the sovereignty movement, with 50.58% voting against the proposal, a margin of less than 1%. The aftermath saw Parizeau resign and the Canadian government take steps to recognize Quebec's unique status while also enacting the Clarity Act to govern future referendums. The event highlighted deep divisions within Quebec society, particularly regarding linguistic and ethnic identities, and left many unresolved political questions.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Quebec referendum of 1995
The Event Quebec votes against secession from Canada
Date October 30, 1995
Place Quebec Province, Canada
The Quebec referendum of 1995, sponsored by the Parti Québécois government of Jacques Parizeau, was the second referendum on Quebec sovereignty to be held in fifteen years. Voters rejected the plan, but only by the narrowest of margins.
Historians cite a variety of reasons for the resurgence of French Canadian nationalism in the early 1990’s. Prominent among them were the ambivalent outcome of Quebec’s first referendum on sovereignty in 1980; Quebec’s opposition to the Constitution Act of 1982; controversial Supreme Court rulings on Quebec’s language and commerce laws; and failure of the Meech Lake (1987) and Charlottetown accords (1992).
On September 12, 1994, Jacques Parizeau, leader of the Parti Québécois and longtime advocate of the sovereignty movement, was elected premier of Quebec. During the electoral campaign, he had promised voters that, if elected to the premiership, he would formulate a new plan for Quebec sovereignty and organize a referendum on the issue. He was joined in his effort by Lucien Bouchard, leader of the Bloc Québécois, and Mario Dumont, leader of Action Démocratique du Québec. On June 12, 1995, the three men drafted the outline of a new bill and agreed on a mutually acceptable platform for the referendum. Bill 1, the so-called Sovereignty Bill, was placed before the province’s National Assembly in early September with a referendum scheduled for October 30.
The campaigns for and against secession received heavy media coverage and were emotionally charged. Quebec Liberal Party leader Daniel Johnson, Labor Minister Lucienne Robillard, and Prime Minister Jean Chrétien were among the most outspoken opponents of the plan. Each contended that the referendum question was confusing, even disingenuous.
With the future of Quebec at stake, Canadians were wrought with anxiety on referendum day. Voter participation rose to a surprising 93.5 percent. In the final tally, 50.58 percent of Quebec’s citizens voted against the government’s plan. The measure was thus defeated by less than 1 percent of the popular vote. In a referendum night concession speech, Premier Parizeau sparked indignation when he blamed his defeat on “money and the ethnic vote” yet failed to acknowledge that approximately 40 percent of the francophone community had rejected his party’s sovereignty plan.
Impact
Following the referendum, Parizeau resigned as Quebec premier and was replaced by Bouchard. Most observers felt that the 1995 referendum had failed to resolve any of the tough political issues at hand. In a gesture of reconciliation, Chrétien’s federal government hastened to recognize Quebec as a “distinct society” with its own language, culture, and legal system. However, Canada’s parliament also passed the Clarity Act of 2000, stipulating that any future referendum on independence must be founded on a clear and unambiguous question and must obtain a clear majority approval before negotiations with the federal government could be initiated.
Bibliography
Cardinal, Mario. Breaking Point Quebec/Canada: The 1995 Referendum. Montreal: Bayard Canada Books, 2005.
Jedwab, Jack, et al. À la prochaine? Une Rétrospective des référendums Québécois de 1980 et 1995. Montreal: Éditions Saint-Martin, 2000.
Young, Robert Andrew. The Struggle for Quebec: From Referendum to Referendum? Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1999.