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1960 Quebec general election

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1960 Quebec general election
← 1956 June 22, 1960 1962 →
← outgoing memberselected members →
95 seats in the 26th Legislative Assembly of Quebec
48 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Jean Lesage Antonio Barrette
Party Liberal Union Nationale
Leader since May 31, 1958 January 7, 1960
Leader's seat Québec-Ouest Joliette
Last election 20 seats, 44.87% 72 seats, 51.80%
Seats won 52 42
Seat change Increase32 Decrease30
Percentage 51.38% 46.61%
Swing Increase6.51pp Decrease5.19pp
Premier before election

Antonio Barrette
Union Nationale

Premier after election

Jean Lesage
Liberal

The 1960 Quebec general election 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. The incumbent Union Nationale, led by Antonio Barrette, was defeated by the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Lesage.

The 1960 election set the stage for the Quiet Revolution, a major social transformation of all aspects of Quebec society throughout the 1960s. Among many other changes, the influence and power of the Catholic Church fell sharply as Quebec became a secular society.

This election put an end to 16 years of continuous Union Nationale rule, much of it under Maurice Duplessis. Duplessis had died in 1959, ending a period that was later derisively referred to as La Grande Noirceur (the Great Darkness).

Duplessis' successor, longtime minister Paul Sauvé, saw the need to modernize a government that had long been one of the most conservative provincial governments in Canada. He initiated a "hundred days of change" that began to transform Quebec society, but they were cut short when Sauvé died suddenly after only a few months in office. He was succeeded by another longtime minister, Antonio Barrette. However, with its second new leader in less than a year and its third in less than two years, and no published platform, the Union Nationale was thus in disarray when it went into the election.

Background

On September 7, 1959, Maurice Duplessis died during a visit to the northern mining town of Schefferville. His nearly 20 years as premier (interrupted from 1939 to 1944 by Adélard Godbout) were marked by conservatism, clientelism, deference to the Catholic hierarchy, defence of provincial powers from federal interference, opposition to Keynesianism, and fierce anti-syndicalism. Contrary to some accounts of the Grande Noirceur, however, Quebec in the late 1950s was on the path to modernization, with a largely urbanized population and a significant manufacturing sector.

Three days after the death of "le Chef" (the Boss), the cabinet chose Paul Sauvé as his successor. Sauvé undertook his "100 days" of change under the slogan "désormais " (From now on), determined to modernize the machinery of government after years of stagnation under Duplessis. On January 2, 1960, while he had wind in his sails and threatened the Liberals' momentum, the new premier died suddenly in Saint-Eustache, in his riding of Deux-Montagnes. On January 7, Antonio Barrette was chosen as premier. The party thus headed into the election with its third leader in under a year. Further undermining the government's stability was the exposure of the natural gas scandal, reported by Le Devoir on June 13, 1958.

Jean Lesage had been elected leader of the Liberal Party on May 31, 1958, succeeding Georges-Émile Lapalme. Lesage aimed to take advantage of the government's setbacks. Particularly critical of official corruption and Union Nationale policies on federal-provincial relations, he promised to create a "strong and dynamic state" against the "occupying regime". The party could also count on recently recruited star candidate René Lévesque to promote its program.

In addition to the two main parties, the Social Democratic Party (the Quebec branch of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation) participated in the election, led by trade unionist Michel Chartrand. Lacking funds, however, it failed to present a candidate.

On March 18, 1960, an Act was passed that raised the number of seats in the legislature to 95:

The writ of election dropped on April 27, setting the electoral campaign in motion.

Campaign

Despite the Liberal Party's ambitious program and the disarray of the UN, it was difficult to predict the outcome of the vote at the outset of the campaign. The incumbent party still enjoyed significant support and many constituencies faced close races. No leaders' debate was held as the parties could not agree on a format.

The campaign revolved around the two leaders, Barrette and Lesage. Barrette stressed continuity with his predecessors, frequently appearing in publicity campaigns featuring Duplessis and Sauvé. He travelled across the province, relying more on voters' faith in him personally than on an electoral platform, which the UN did not publish. At the beginning of the campaign, he even wrote in the party's organ Montréal-Matin: "Our program was formulated in 1931 and current legislation bears witness to its implementation."

Lesage meanwhile led an "American-style" campaign, focusing on voter outreach to counter the public's perception of him as haughty. He took inspiration from Harry Truman, sometimes spending up to three days in the same region listening to local demands.

The majority of races were two- and three-way contests, but some ridings had more fractured campaigns:

Riding contests, by number of candidates (1960)
Candidates Lib UN Ind I-UN I-Lib Comm Lib-Rép PSD CF UN-Lab Lab Total
2 58 58 116
3 25 25 4 13 6 1 1 75
4 8 8 6 4 4 1 1 32
5 1 1 1 1 1 5
>5 3 3 4 4 9 1 1 25
Total 95 95 14 22 20 2 1 1 1 1 1 253
Ridings with more than five candidates (1960)
Riding Lib UN Ind I-UN I-Lib Comm Lib-Rép PSD CF UN-Lab Lab Total
Montréal–Saint-Henri 1 1 2 1 1 6
Maisonneuve 1 1 2 2 1 7
Montréal–Saint-Louis 1 1 2 1 6 1 12
Total 3 3 4 4 9 1 1 25

Controversy in L'Assomption

After a judicial recount, the UN had won L'Assomption by only one vote. In July 1961, a panel of judges overturned the result, voiding the reelection of Victor-Stanislas Chartrand and declaring the Liberal candidate Frédéric Coiteux the victor by 10 votes. Allegations of voter impersonation, threats and bribery were cited by the judges in voiding 11 votes in the count. Chartrand had attempted to resign his seat and thus trigger a byelection, but that was not accepted pending the outcome in court.

Results

Elections to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec (1960)
Political party Party leader MPPs Votes
Candidates 1956 1960 ± # ± % ± (pp)
Liberal Jean Lesage 95 20 52 32Increase 1,077,135 248,871Increase 51.38% 6.50Increase
Union Nationale Antonio Barrette 95 72 42 30Decrease 977,307 21,225Increase 46.61% 5.19Decrease
Independent 14 1 1 Steady 22,187 11,018Decrease 1.06% 0.74Decrease
Independent-Unionist 22 – – – 10,531 6,423Increase 0.50% 0.28Increase
Independent-Liberal 20 – – – 8,208 3,770Increase 0.39% 0.15Increase
  Other candidates
█ Communist 2 – – – 536 5,981Decrease 0.03% 0.33Decrease
█ Libéral républicain 1 – – – 188 188Increase 0.01% New
█ Social Democratic 1 – – – 166 11,066Decrease 0.01% 0.60Decrease
█ Capital familial 1 – – – 144 51Increase 0.01% –
█ UN-Labour 1 – – – 134 382Decrease 0.01% 0.02Decrease
█ Labour 1 – – – 50 1,224Decrease 0.00% 0.07Decrease
Total 253 93 95 2,096,586 100%
Rejected ballots 33,521 4,740Increase
Voter turnout 2,130,107 255,597Increase 81.66 3.34Increase
Registered electors 2,608,439 215,079Increase
  1. Campaigned in 1956 under the Labor-Progressive banner
Seats and popular vote by party
Party Seats Votes Change (pp)
█ Liberal 52 / 95 51.38% 6.50 6.5 
█ Union Nationale 42 / 95 46.61% -5.19  
█ Independent 1 / 95 1.06% -0.74  
█ Other 0 / 95 0.95% -0.57  

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1960 Quebec general election
Riding Winning party Turnout
 Votes
Name 1956 Party Votes Share Margin
# 		Margin
% 		Lib UN Ind I-UN I-Lib Other Total
 
Abitibi-Est UN Lib 14,061 51.25% 852 3.11% 86.12% 14,061 13,209 – – – 166 27,436
Abitibi-Ouest Lib Lib 6,321 52.78% 666 5.56% 90.08% 6,321 5,655 – – – – 11,976
Argenteuil UN UN 8,835 60.02% 2,951 20.05% 89.88% 5,884 8,835 – – – – 14,719
Arthabaska UN Lib 10,609 53.09% 1,269 6.35% 93.52% 10,609 9,340 – – 35 – 19,984
Bagot UN UN 5,335 55.84% 1,116 11.68% 91.53% 4,219 5,335 – – – – 9,554
Beauce UN Lib 12,939 54.07% 1,946 8.13% 87.31% 12,939 10,993 – – – – 23,932
Beauharnois UN UN 11,385 49.86% 148 0.65% 91.88% 11,237 11,385 – 85 128 – 22,835
Bellechasse UN Lib 5,601 52.06% 444 4.13% 86.88% 5,601 5,157 – – – – 10,758
Berthier UN UN 6,669 52.65% 809 6.39% 89.56% 5,860 6,669 138 – – – 12,667
Bonaventure Lib Lib 8,513 51.61% 532 3.23% 86.03% 8,513 7,981 – – – – 16,494
Bourget New Lib 34,411 53.08% 5,270 8.13% 75.94% 34,411 29,141 – – 1,277 – 64,829
Brome Lib Lib 3,578 55.51% 710 11.01% 87.15% 3,578 2,868 – – – – 6,446
Chambly Lib Lib 25,921 49.91% 599 1.15% 79.01% 25,921 25,322 – – 688 – 51,931
Champlain UN UN 11,572 50.32% 147 0.64% 91.87% 11,425 11,572 – – – – 22,997
Charlevoix UN UN 7,097 52.60% 702 5.20% 87.84% 6,395 7,097 – – – – 13,492
Châteauguay UN UN 7,539 53.44% 1,276 9.05% 88.10% 6,263 7,539 – 305 – – 14,107
Chicoutimi UN UN 16,749 51.32% 860 2.63% 89.96% 15,889 16,749 – – – – 32,638
Compton Lib UN 5,725 53.77% 802 7.53% 89.31% 4,923 5,725 – – – – 10,648
Deux-Montagnes UN Lib 6,978 50.15% 299 2.15% 89.43% 6,978 6,679 121 137 – – 13,915
Dorchester UN UN 8,002 50.92% 288 1.83% 86.74% 7,714 8,002 – – – – 15,716
Drummond UN Lib 12,268 50.21% 101 0.41% 92.04% 12,268 12,167 – – – – 24,435
Duplessis New Lib 6,552 56.31% 1,528 13.13% 78.05% 6,552 5,024 – 60 – – 11,636
Frontenac UN UN 6,418 51.77% 438 3.53% 90.59% 5,980 6,418 – – – – 12,398
Gaspé-Nord UN Lib 4,824 49.79% 11 0.11% 88.24% 4,824 4,813 – 51 – – 9,688
Gaspé-Sud UN UN 7,656 52.72% 791 5.45% 90.34% 6,865 7,656 – – – – 14,521
Gatineau UN UN 9,846 55.42% 2,140 12.05% 80.51% 7,706 9,846 – 214 – – 17,766
Hull Lib Lib 15,195 60.90% 5,692 22.81% 84.36% 15,195 9,503 – – 252 – 24,950
Huntingdon UN UN 3,671 56.75% 873 13.50% 85.85% 2,798 3,671 – – – – 6,469
Iberville UN Lib 4,124 53.52% 542 7.03% 92.81% 4,124 3,582 – – – – 7,706
Îles-de-la-Madeleine UN UN 2,759 56.99% 677 13.98% 91.24% 2,082 2,759 – – – – 4,841
Jacques-Cartier Lib Lib 46,024 59.32% 16,325 21.04% 73.08% 46,024 29,699 – 1,529 336 – 77,588
Joliette UN UN 12,479 64.75% 5,685 29.50% 89.70% 6,794 12,479 – – – – 19,273
Jonquière-Kénogami UN Lib 15,310 56.86% 6,014 22.33% 89.82% 15,310 9,296 2,134 – – 188 26,928
Kamouraska UN UN 6,056 53.84% 864 7.68% 84.65% 5,192 6,056 – – – – 11,248
L'Assomption UN Lib 7,999 49.73% 10 0.06% 89.16% 7,999 7,989 – 94 – – 16,082
L'Islet UN Lib 5,862 58.09% 1,632 16.17% 86.47% 5,862 4,230 – – – – 10,092
Labelle UN UN 5,857 52.33% 522 4.66% 89.81% 5,335 5,857 – – – – 11,192
Lac-Saint-Jean UN Lib 9,844 56.65% 2,310 13.29% 91.75% 9,844 7,534 – – – – 17,378
Laval UN Lib 51,752 56.43% 11,790 12.86% 80.21% 51,752 39,962 – – – – 91,714
Laviolette UN UN 11,013 51.71% 728 3.42% 88.87% 10,285 11,013 – – – – 21,298
Lévis UN Lib 13,194 54.74% 2,286 9.48% 90.25% 13,194 10,908 – – – – 24,102
Lotbinière UN UN 6,272 50.65% 161 1.30% 90.17% 6,111 6,272 – – – – 12,383
Maisonneuve UN UN 22,682 46.10% 2,130 4.33% 73.78% 20,552 22,682 – 3,147 2,443 373 49,197
Maskinongé UN UN 5,481 54.29% 867 8.59% 92.95% 4,614 5,481 – – – – 10,095
Matane UN Lib 9,131 53.55% 1,210 7.10% 84.38% 9,131 7,921 – – – – 17,052
Matapédia UN Lib 7,263 56.76% 1,730 13.52% 86.25% 7,263 5,533 – – – – 12,796
Mégantic UN Lib 14,221 59.22% 4,427 18.43% 91.88% 14,221 9,794 – – – – 24,015
Missisquoi UN UN 7,867 57.74% 2,108 15.47% 89.83% 5,759 7,867 – – – – 13,626
Montcalm UN UN 4,432 51.49% 441 5.12% 90.35% 3,991 4,432 184 – – – 8,607
Montmagny UN Lib 5,865 49.89% 9 0.08% 89.21% 5,865 5,856 – 35 – – 11,756
Montmorency UN UN 6,266 54.38% 1,009 8.76% 90.98% 5,257 6,266 – – – – 11,523
Montréal–Jeanne-Mance UN UN 38,015 51.32% 2,467 3.33% 74.86% 35,548 38,015 – 515 – – 74,078
Montréal-Laurier UN Lib 14,012 47.83% 129 0.44% 79.31% 14,012 13,883 489 – 910 – 29,294
Montréal-Mercier UN UN 16,423 51.46% 929 2.91% 74.84% 15,494 16,423 – – – – 31,917
Montréal–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Lib Lib 29,857 66.18% 14,602 32.37% 60.87% 29,857 15,255 – – – – 45,112
Montréal-Outremont Lib Lib 27,069 62.98% 15,174 35.30% 58.38% 27,069 11,895 4,017 – – – 42,981
Montréal–Saint-Henri Lib Lib 17,820 49.87% 1,387 3.88% 74.92% 17,820 16,433 385 420 672 – 35,730
Montréal–Saint-Jacques UN UN 9,190 53.08% 1,463 8.45% 66.19% 7,727 9,190 – 186 211 – 17,314
Montréal–Saint-Louis Lib Lib 10,580 41.06% 101 0.39% 61.34% 10,580 10,479 3,569 213 876 50 25,767
Montréal–Sainte-Anne Ind Ind 9,206 57.90% 3,754 23.61% 63.73% 5,452 1,243 9,206 – – – 15,901
Montréal–Sainte-Marie UN UN 15,690 56.95% 4,328 15.71% 71.40% 11,362 15,690 – 498 – – 27,550
Montréal-Verdun Lib Lib 18,354 57.64% 5,397 16.95% 72.26% 18,354 12,957 – 97 269 163 31,840
Napierville-Laprairie UN UN 8,551 50.05% 16 0.09% 90.06% 8,535 8,551 – – – – 17,086
Nicolet UN UN 7,281 52.86% 788 5.72% 84.45% 6,493 7,281 – – – – 13,774
Papineau UN UN 11,941 53.74% 1,661 7.47% 90.51% 10,280 11,941 – – – – 22,221
Pontiac UN UN 5,181 58.37% 1,486 16.74% 82.14% 3,695 5,181 – – – – 8,876
Portneuf UN Lib 12,086 54.45% 1,975 8.90% 91.19% 12,086 10,111 – – – – 22,197
Québec-Centre UN UN 9,480 53.50% 1,239 6.99% 83.93% 8,241 9,480 – – – – 17,721
Québec-Comté UN Lib 27,839 55.95% 7,153 14.38% 88.18% 27,839 20,686 – 1,232 – – 49,757
Québec-Est UN UN 20,536 52.32% 1,956 4.98% 88.68% 18,580 20,536 – – – 134 39,250
Québec-Ouest Lib Lib 11,635 55.87% 2,523 12.11% 87.04% 11,635 9,112 – 79 – – 20,826
Richelieu UN Lib 9,617 52.91% 1,145 6.30% 88.91% 9,617 8,472 88 – – – 18,177
Richmond Lib Lib 9,691 53.50% 1,269 7.01% 90.57% 9,691 8,422 – – – – 18,113
Rimouski Lib Lib 11,585 55.84% 2,422 11.67% 85.70% 11,585 9,163 – – – – 20,748
Rivière-du-Loup Lib Lib 8,671 51.71% 572 3.41% 88.58% 8,671 8,099 – – – – 16,770
Roberval UN Lib 12,761 58.50% 3,971 18.21% 87.78% 12,761 8,790 – 261 – – 21,812
Rouville UN UN 5,915 52.71% 609 5.43% 89.07% 5,306 5,915 – – – – 11,221
Rouyn-Noranda Lib Lib 8,387 52.29% 735 4.58% 88.47% 8,387 7,652 – – – – 16,039
Saguenay UN Lib 10,475 59.14% 3,237 18.27% 80.09% 10,475 7,238 – – – – 17,713
Saint-Hyacinthe Lib Lib 11,456 55.16% 2,144 10.32% 85.60% 11,456 9,312 – – – – 20,768
Saint-Jean UN Lib 8,869 50.60% 210 1.20% 91.85% 8,869 8,659 – – – – 17,528
Saint-Maurice Lib Lib 15,040 53.12% 1,767 6.24% 91.02% 15,040 13,273 – – – – 28,313
Saint-Sauveur UN UN 14,216 58.79% 4,252 17.58% 88.63% 9,964 14,216 – – – – 24,180
Shefford UN UN 12,286 52.98% 1,383 5.96% 88.16% 10,903 12,286 – – – – 23,189
Sherbrooke UN Lib 17,661 51.02% 1,396 4.03% 84.11% 17,661 16,265 – 692 – – 34,618
Stanstead UN Lib 8,234 51.28% 410 2.55% 86.51% 8,234 7,824 – – – – 16,058
Témiscamingue UN UN 4,289 53.44% 552 6.88% 89.78% 3,737 4,289 – – – – 8,026
Témiscouata UN UN 5,606 53.46% 726 6.92% 86.55% 4,880 5,606 – – – – 10,486
Terrebonne UN Lib 25,936 58.72% 8,387 18.99% 89.07% 25,936 17,549 – 681 – – 44,166
Trois-Rivières UN UN 13,221 46.65% 103 0.36% 89.22% 13,118 13,221 1,856 – – 144 28,339
Vaudreuil-Soulanges UN Lib 9,051 50.41% 149 0.83% 90.85% 9,051 8,902 – – – – 17,953
Verchères UN Lib 5,583 50.01% 63 0.56% 91.08% 5,583 5,520 – – 60 – 11,163
Westmount–Saint-Georges Lib Lib 10,988 61.75% 4,183 23.51% 55.12% 10,988 6,805 – – – – 17,793
Wolfe UN Lib 3,972 51.85% 334 4.36% 92.17% 3,972 3,638 – – 51 – 7,661
Yamaska UN UN 4,030 56.51% 929 13.03% 87.84% 3,101 4,030 – – – – 7,131
  1. including spoilt ballots
  2. including Dave Rochon (3,447 votes), previously elected as Liberal MPP in 1956, but resigned from the party in June 1957
  = open seat
  = turnout is above provincial average
  = winning candidate was in previous Legislature
  = incumbent had switched allegiance
  = not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature
  = incumbency arose from byelection gain
  = other incumbents renominated
  = multiple candidates
  = adjusted on judicial recount

Analysis

Party candidates in 2nd place
Party in 1st place Party in 2nd place Total
Lib UN
Liberal 52 52
Union Nationale 42 42
Independent 1 1
Total 43 52 95
Candidates ranked 1st to 5th place, by party
Parties 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
█ Liberal 52 43
█ Union Nationale 42 52 1
█ Independent 1 7 3 1
█ Independent UN 15 4 3
█ Independent Liberal 12 2
█ Social Democratic 1
█ UN-Labour 1
█ Communist 1
█ Capital familial 1
█ Libéral républicain 1
Resulting composition of the 27th Quebec Legislative Assembly
Source Party
Lib UN Ind Total
Seats retained Incumbents returned 16 40 1 57
Open seats held 1 1 2
Ouster of incumbent 1 1
Seats changing hands Incumbents defeated 23 23
Incumbents defeated - previous incumbents returned 3 3
Open seats gained 5 5
Open seats gained - previous incumbents returned 1 1
Byelection gain held 1 1
New ridings New MPPs elected 2 2
Total 52 42 1 95

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ^ Éric Bédard. "Le 22 juin 1960 — L'élection de Jean Lesage : « un changement de la vie » ? - La Fondation Lionel-Groulx". www.fondationlionelgroulx.org. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  2. Thomson, Dale C. (1984). Jean Lesage & the quiet revolution. Toronto: McMillan of Canada. p. 107. ISBN 0-7715-9797-5.
  3. An Act respecting the territorial division of the Province, S.Q. 1959-60, c. 28
  4. Lemieux, Vincent (1969). Quatre élections provinciales au Québec (1956-1966). Quebec City: Les Presses de l'Université Laval. p. 14.
  5. ^ Drouilly, Pierre (November 7, 2017). "Élections québécoises de 1960". donneesquebec.ca. Atlas des élections au Québec.
  6. ^ Morin, Maurice (July 13, 1961). "Majorité libérale augmentée" [Liberal majority increased]. La Presse (in French). Montreal. pp. 1, 2.
  7. ^ "M. Coiteux élu dans L'Assomption" [Mr Coiteux is elected in L'Assomption]. Le Devoir (in French). July 14, 1961. p. 1.
  8. ^ "Les membres de l'Assemblée nationale par circonscription" [National Assembly members by riding] (in French). National Assembly of Quebec. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  9. "Les élections annulées" [Voided elections] (in French). National Assembly of Quebec. Retrieved October 15, 2023.

External links

Quebec Elections and referendums in Quebec
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See also: List of Quebec by-elections
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