Quebec Liberal Party

…assume the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party (QLP). His move into provincial politics was made in an effort to wrest political control of Quebec from the separatist Parti Québécois (PQ), headed by Lucien Bouchard, prior to a referendum on Quebec independence. Although Charest’s popularity in Quebec had been expected…

…elected leader of the provincial Quebec Liberal Party, after which he resigned his national portfolio and Commons seat. In the provincial elections of 1960 he led the Liberal Party’s victory over the conservative Union Nationale, which had been in office since 1944.

In June 1960 the Quebec Liberal Party, under Jean Lesage, gained power in Quebec. Lesage launched several new legislative initiatives aimed at reforming the corruption that had become widespread during the Duplessis years, transforming and improving the social and educational infrastructure, removing the Roman Catholic church from most secular…