Quebec general election, 1962
Encyclopedia
The Quebec general election of 1962 was held on November 14, 1962, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly
of the Province of Quebec
, Canada
. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Lesage
, won re-election, defeating the Union Nationale (UN) led by Daniel Johnson, Sr..
In an unusual move, the election was called just two years after the previous 1960 general election
. Lesage sought a mandate for the nationalization of the electricity industry, declaring this single issue important enough to stake his political career on it.
A few days before the election, the Union Nationales chief organizer André Lagarde was arrested for fraud. The Liberals claimed this was proof of lingering corruption dating from the Maurice Duplessis
era, but the Union cried foul, and were vindicated after the election. However, the incident may well have contributed to the Union's defeat.
The Liberal Party won an increased number of seats and a higher percentage of the popular vote, and the nationalization program was carried out. Future Parti Québécois
founder René Lévesque
served as a cabinet minister in the Lesage government and spearheaded the nationalization of power utilities to greatly expand Hydro-Québec
.
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...
of the Province of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage, PC, CC, CD was a lawyer and politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 19th Premier of Quebec from 22 June 1960, to 16 August 1966...
, won re-election, defeating the Union Nationale (UN) led by Daniel Johnson, Sr..
In an unusual move, the election was called just two years after the previous 1960 general election
Quebec general election, 1960
The Quebec general election of 1960 was held on June 22, 1960 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled perhaps only by the 1976 general election...
. Lesage sought a mandate for the nationalization of the electricity industry, declaring this single issue important enough to stake his political career on it.
A few days before the election, the Union Nationales chief organizer André Lagarde was arrested for fraud. The Liberals claimed this was proof of lingering corruption dating from the Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis served as the 16th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959. A founder and leader of the highly conservative Union Nationale party, he rose to power after exposing the misconduct and patronage of Liberal Premier Louis-Alexandre...
era, but the Union cried foul, and were vindicated after the election. However, the incident may well have contributed to the Union's defeat.
The Liberal Party won an increased number of seats and a higher percentage of the popular vote, and the nationalization program was carried out. Future Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
founder René Lévesque
René Lévesque
René Lévesque was a reporter, a minister of the government of Quebec, , the founder of the Parti Québécois political party and the 23rd Premier of Quebec...
served as a cabinet minister in the Lesage government and spearheaded the nationalization of power utilities to greatly expand Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
.
Results
| Party | Party leader | # of candidates |
Seats | Popular vote | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 Quebec general election, 1960 The Quebec general election of 1960 was held on June 22, 1960 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled perhaps only by the 1976 general election... |
Elected | % Change | # | % | % Change |
Liberal | Jean Lesage Jean Lesage Jean Lesage, PC, CC, CD was a lawyer and politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 19th Premier of Quebec from 22 June 1960, to 16 August 1966... |
97 | 51 | 63 | +23.5% | 1,205,253 | 56.40% | +5.0% |
Union Nationale | Daniel Johnson, Sr. | 95 | 43 | 31 | -27.9% | 900,817 | 42.15% | -4.5% |
Other | 32 | 1 | 1 | - | 30,897 | 1.45% | -0.6% | |
| Total | 224 | 95 | 95 | - | 2,136,967 | 100% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
- List of Quebec premiers
- Politics of QuebecPolitics of QuebecThe politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Quebec City, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside.The...
- Timeline of Quebec historyTimeline of Quebec historyThis article presents a detailed timeline of Quebec history. Events taking place outside Quebec, for example in English Canada, the United States, Britain or France, may be included when they are considered to have had a significant impact on Quebec's history....
- List of Quebec political parties
- Quiet RevolutionQuiet RevolutionThe Quiet Revolution was the 1960s period of intense change in Quebec, Canada, characterized by the rapid and effective secularization of society, the creation of a welfare state and a re-alignment of politics into federalist and separatist factions...
- 27th Legislative Assembly of Quebec27th Legislative Assembly of QuebecThe 27th Legislative Assembly of Quebec was the Quebec, Canada provincial legislature that existed from November 14, 1962 to June 5, 1966. The Quebec Liberal Party led by Jean Lesage was the governing party as it continued the Quiet Revolution era that started during the first mandate of the...