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The province-wide referendum took place on October 30, 1995 and the motion to pursue Quebec's secession was narrowly defeated by a 50.58% to 49.42% margin.
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2 The Players 3 The Campaign 4 The Results 5 Effects 6 External links |
The question posed on the ballot was: "Do you agree that Quebec 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 Quebec and of the agreement signed on June 12, 1995, Yes or No?"
The text of the June 12 agreement, signed by Jacques Parizeau of the Parti Québécois, Lucien Bouchard, then leader of the Bloc Québécois and Mario Dumont of the Action démocratique du Québec was sent to every household in Québec weeks before the vote. But many federalists argued that the question was unclear.
Campaigning for the "No" side were those in favour of the status quo and reformists opposed to the secession of Quebec.
Key federalists:
Campaigning for the "Yes" side were those in favour of Quebec's separation from Canada.
Key sovereigntists:
Early polls indicated that 60% of Quebecers would vote no, and for the first few weeks, the sovereigntist campaign lead by Parizeau made little headway. Jean Chrétien mostly stayed out of the debate leaving Johnson to be the main federalist representative. Early federalist gaffes included Paul Martin arguing Quebec would lose a million jobs if it separated.
Seeing that the 'yes' side was making little progress, the far more popular Lucien Bouchard rose to a more prominent role among sovereigntists. Under Bouchard the numbers began to change and new polls showed a majority of Quebecers intending to vote yes. Quebecers were also inflamed by isolated groups, especially in western Canada, who said that Canada should "get rid" of Quebec. Bouchard stumbled, however, remarking that Quebecers were the "white race" with the lowest rate of reproduction, possibly losing the favour of non-white voters.
Still days before the referendum it looked as though the sovereigntists would win. Chrétien promised a new deal for Quebec within Canada if Quebecers voted to stay. A massive rally was held in downtown Montreal where Canadians, who had benefited from up to 90% discounts on train and plane tickets from federal public institutions, came to express their support for a 'no' vote. Jean Chretien gave a televised address, but many found Lucien Bouchard's rebuttal to be far more effective.The Question
The Players
Federalists
Sovereigntists
The Campaign
| Total votes | % of votes | |
|---|---|---|
| YES | 2,308,360 | 49.42% |
| NO | 2,362,648 | 50.58% |
| Valid ballots | 4,671,008 | 98.18% |
| Rejected ballots | 86,501 | 1.82% |
| Participation rate | 4,757,509 | 93.52% |
| Registered voters | 5,087,009 |
In his concession speech Parizeau blamed the loss on "money and the ethnic vote", and stepped down as premier a day later.
After the election controversy arose over whether Parti Québécois scrutineers had discarded 'no' ballots. The sovereigntists also attacked the federalists for gross violations of spending limits by making use of friendly corporations such as Air Canada and BCE, notably for the rally in Montreal. Later reviews substantiated both allegations, but there were no consequences to those who had taken part.
While reform of the confederation was promised by the federalists only limited changes were made such as giving regional vetoes. Rather after the referendum the Liberal government embarked on the so-called "Plan-B" of treating Quebec and sovereingty harshly. This culminated in the 1998 Clarity Act which stated that any future referendum would have to be on a "clear question" and that it would have to represent a "clear majority" to be considered successful. The meaning of both a "clear question" and a "clear majority" is left unspecified in the bill, meaning that the federal government can decide upon its definition even after a successful referendum.
Over the course of the next few years support for sovereignty, and for any sort of constitutional change, declined markedly. While the PQ was reelected and remained in power until 2003, another referendum was not held. After the PQ lost the provincial election to Jean Charest's federalist Liberals, support for sovereignty began to climb steadily to a point where 'yes' voting intentions outnumbered 'no' voting intentions according to a SOM poll conducted in December 2003.Effects