Quebec general election, 1970 - Definition and Overview

In the Quebec general election on April 29, 1970, the Quebec Liberal Party under Robert Bourassa defeated the incumbent Union Nationale under Jean-Jacques Bertrand.

The once-mighty Union Nationale never held power again.

This election marked the first appearance by a new party, the sovereignist Parti Québécois under René Lévesque, which won a modest seven seats. This party would later win over many of the Union Nationale's nationalist supporters, contributing to that party's demise.

Only a few months after the election, Quebec faced a severe test with the October Crisis, in which Liberal cabinet minister Pierre Laporte was kidnapped and assassinated by the FLQ.

• Election results

See also

• List of Quebec premiers
• Politics of Quebec
• Timeline of Quebec history

External link

• CBC TV video clip (http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-73-651-3572/politics_economy/quebec_elections/clip4)