This is a list of the leaders of the opposition party of Quebec, Canada since Confederation (1867).
Note that the leader of the Opposition is not always the leader of the political party with the second-largest number of seats, in cases where the leader of that party does not have a seat.
There was no Leader of the Official Opposition until March 1869, when the government's second budget was introduced.
Footnotes
- In the aftermath of the execution of Louis Riel, Honoré Mercier founded the Parti National, in order to bring Conservative dissidents to the Liberal Party. From 1885 to 1891, the Liberal Party is also called Parti National.
- Pierre-Évariste Leblanc lost his seat to the legislature in 1908. Joseph-Mathias Tellier succeeded him as Conservative Leader.
- Philémon Cousineau lost his seat to the legislature in 1916. Arthur Sauvé succeeded him as Conservative Leader.
- Conservative Leader Camillien Houde lost his seat to the legislature. Charles Ernest Gault served as acting Leader.
- In 1935, the Conservatives formed a coalition with the Action libérale nationale (ALN). The ALN ran 60 candidates and won 26 seats. The Conservatives ran 30 candidates and won 16 seats. However, Maurice Duplessis served as leader of the coalition and therefore remained Leader of the Opposition.
- Liberal Leader Adélard Godbout lost his seat to the legislature and could not serve as Leader of the Opposition.
- Liberal Leader Adélard Godbout lost his seat to the legislature. His successor, Georges-Émile Lapalme, was defeated in Joliette in 1952. George Marler served as Acting Leader of the Opposition until 1953, when Lapalme won a by-election.
- Jean Lesage became Liberal Leader in 1958, but Georges-Émile Lapalme remained Leader of the opposition until Lesage won a seat to the legislature in 1960.
- Following the resignation of Union Nationale Leader Antonio Barrette, Yves Prévost served as Acting Leader.
- Following the resignation of Yves Prévost, Antonio Talbot served as Acting Leader.
- From October 25, 1971 to January 14, 1973 the Union Nationale was called Unité Québec.
- Parti Québécois Leader René Lévesque was defeated in Dorion and could not serve as Leader of the Opposition.
- Liberal Leader Robert Bourassa lost his seat to the legislature. Gérard D. Levesque served as Acting Leader until Claude Ryan, who became leader in 1978, won a by-election.
- Following the resignation of Claude Ryan, Gérard D. Levesque served as Acting Leader.
- Following the resignation of Pierre Marc Johnson, Guy Chevrette served as Acting Leader and remained Leader of the opposition until new leader Jacques Parizeau won a seat to the legislature in 1989.
- Monique Gagnon-Tremblay served as Acting Leader of the Opposition until Jean Charest won a seat to the legislature in 1998.
- Following the resignation of Bernard Landry, Louise Harel served as Acting Leader and remained Leader of the opposition until new leader André Boisclair won a by-election.
- Assumed the position of Leader of the Opposition as a result of party leader Premier Pauline Marois losing her seat in the general election and resigning as party leader. Bédard was interim leader until a new leader was elected in a leadership election in 2015.
See also
- List of Quebec general elections
- Timeline of Quebec history
- National Assembly of Quebec
- List of Quebec premiers
- List of third party leaders (Quebec)
- History of Quebec
External links
- Les chefs de l'opposition officielle depuis 1869 (in French)
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