Quebec referendum of 1995

Quebec referendum of 1995, referendum held in the Canadian province of Quebec on October 30, 1995, that proposed sovereignty for the province within a new economic and political partnership between Quebec and the rest of Canada. The referendum was defeated by a margin of only 1 percent, or fewer than 55,000 votes.

The failure of the Meech Lake Accord (1987), which would have recognized Quebec’s status as a distinct society, and the Charlottetown Accord (1992), which addressed greater autonomy for both Quebec and the aboriginal population, left considerable uncertainty about the constitutional future of Canada. The political landscape changed dramatically following the 1993 election, in which the Progressive Conservative Party, associated with former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the failed accords, was virtually wiped out. While the federalist Liberal Party of Canada under Jean Chrétien won a majority in the House of Commons, the opposition was fractured along regional lines between the western-based Reform Party of Canada and the avowedly separatist Bloc Québécois, which formed the official opposition.

Growing discontent

The rest of Canada was tired of constitutional matters. However, the alienation felt by Quebecers, attributable in part to the poisoned atmosphere following the debate over a distinct society, brought the separatist Parti Québécois (PQ) back into power in the province. Premier Jacques Parizeau promptly promised that a referendum on Quebec separation would be held sometime during 1995. In preparation for the referendum, draft legislation was prepared and a series of public consultations were held. The referendum was originally scheduled for the spring of 1995 but was delayed until October.

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The question posed in the referendum was: “Do you agree that Québec should become sovereign, after having made a formal offer to Canada for a new economic and political partnership, within the scope of the Bill respecting the future of Québec and of the agreement signed on 12 June 1995?” The Bill referred to in the question was Bill 1, An Act Respecting the Future of Québec (Loi sur l’avenir du Québec), which included a declaration of sovereignty in its preamble, and “the agreement signed on 12 June 1995” was an accord between the Parti Québécois and the Action démocratique du Québec (the ADQ) ratified by Premier Parizeau, Lucien Bouchard (leader of the Bloc Québécois), and Mario Dumont (the leader of the ADQ). The referendum itself was conducted under the provisions of the Québec Referendum Act.

At the beginning of the referendum campaign, the so-called “no” side (opposed to separation) had a substantial lead in the polls. But as the campaign progressed, and particularly when Bouchard took over the leadership of the “yes” side from Parizeau during the final three weeks of the campaign, the “yes” side gained momentum.

Result of the referendum

Ultimately, after an emotional and somewhat controversial campaign, the “no” side achieved victory by a narrow majority of 50.58 percent.

Following the vote, there was considerable controversy relating to the counting of ballots (there was a large number of “spoiled” ballots), the identification of eligible voters, and other concerns. Parizeau resigned and Bouchard assumed the leadership of the Parti Québécois and became premier of Quebec. Bouchard had earlier announced his intention to conduct another referendum on separation in 1997.

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During the final days of the campaign, federal politicians declared that they would address some of Quebec’s concerns. For example, Prime Minister Chrétien said that he would take steps toward recognizing Quebec as a “distinct society” and guaranteeing Quebec a de facto veto over proposed constitutional changes.

Reaction of the federal government

Chrétien created a special cabinet committee to formulate a proposal for reform. The proposal that emerged called for three initiatives to be enacted by the House of Commons.

The first initiative, in the form of a motion in the House of Commons, recognized Quebec as a distinct society within Canada (i.e., a society characterized by the French language, the civil-law system, and a unique culture).

A second initiative, as orginally drafted, would have granted a veto to the Western region, the Atlantic region, Ontario, and Quebec over all future constitutional changes to national institutions such as the Senate, the creation of new provinces, and any amendments regarding the distribution of powers. At the insistence of British Columbia, however, the initiative was revised so that British Columbia became a separate region with a veto over major constitutional changes; the Prairie provinces (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta) were also given a veto.

Under the third initiative, the federal government gave up its role in worker-training, apprenticeship, and cooperative-education programs, thus allowing the provinces to assume that responsibility.

Dissatisfied with those reforms, the premiers of the English-speaking provinces drafted the Calgary Declaration (1997), which recognized the “unique” character of Quebec society but insisted that all provinces should be equal and that any constitutional power granted to one province should be granted to all. The Calgary Declaration was adopted by all the provincial legislatures except Quebec’s National Assembly.

An earlier version of this entry was published by The Canadian Encyclopedia .