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Fear, relief, anguish: Reliving the emotion of the 1995 Quebec referendum
The 1995 Quebec referendum on sovereignty saw a narrow 50.58% 'no' vote with 93.5% turnout, shaping political discourse for three decades, officials said.
- On October 30, the 1995 Quebec referendum concluded with the 'no' side winning 50.58 per cent, defeating the sovereigntist movement by fewer than 55,000 ballots, as an 18-year-old college student watched.
- After constitutional accords collapsed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Parti Québécois returned to power in September 1994 under Premier Jacques Parizeau and pledged a second referendum within a year.
- Internal polls 10 days before the vote showed the 'yes' side leading, and Lucien Bouchard, Bloc Québécois leader, quickly became the campaign's de facto spokesman to reassure voters.
- During his concession speech in Montreal, Jacques Parizeau blamed the defeat on `money and ethnic votes`, while Lucien Bouchard urged sovereigntists to remain hopeful as supporters felt a historic moment slipped away.
- Looking ahead to next year, St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of the Parti Québécois, has pledged a third referendum if his party forms government, 30 years after the 1995 referendum's legacy.
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35 Articles
35 Articles
Is the sovereignist dream a dream of youth? Our columnist was 22 years old in 1995 and tells his memories of the referendum, especially on the night of 30 October, in addition to talking with writer Carl Leblanc and historian Eric Bédard, who wrote two books on the political fervor of their generation.
·Montreal, Canada
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Total News Sources35
Leaning Left22Leaning Right0Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution92% Left
Bias Distribution
- 92% of the sources lean Left
92% Left
L 92%
Factuality
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