Editing 1995 Quebec referendum (section)

== Background ==
{{Main|Quebec sovereignty movement}}

Quebec, a [[Provinces of Canada|province]] in Canada since [[Canadian Confederation|its foundation in 1867]], has always been the sole majority French-speaking province. Long ruled by forces (such as the [[Union Nationale (Quebec)|Union Nationale]]) that focused on affirmation of the province's Francophone and Catholic identity within Canada, the [[Quiet Revolution]] of the early 1960s prompted a surge in civic and economic nationalism, as well as voices calling for the independence of the province and the establishment of a [[nation state]]. Among these was [[René Lévesque]], who founded the {{langr|fr|[[Parti Québécois]]}} with like-minded groups seeking independence from Canada. After winning power in 1976, the PQ government held a [[1980 Quebec referendum|referendum in 1980]] seeking a mandate to negotiate "[[sovereignty-association]]" with Canada, which was decisively defeated.

In response to the referendum result, Prime Minister [[Pierre Trudeau]] said that he would seek to [[patriate]] the [[Canadian Constitution]] and institute what would eventually become the [[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]. During tense negotiations in November 1981, an agreement was reached between Trudeau and nine of the ten provincial premiers by Trudeau, but not Lévesque. The [[Constitution Act of 1982]] was enacted without the Quebec National Assembly's approval,<ref name=Constitution>[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/patriation-the-constitution-comes-home-feature Patriation: The Constitution Comes Home] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227054230/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/patriation-the-constitution-comes-home-feature/ |date=2014-02-27 }}. ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. Retrieved on June 1, 2007.</ref> after the Supreme Court of Canada [[Patriation Reference|ruled against the Quebec government]] that its consent was not necessary for constitutional change.

New Prime Minister [[Brian Mulroney]] and [[Liberal Party of Quebec|Quebec Liberal]] premier [[Robert Bourassa]] sought a series of constitutional amendments designed to address Quebec's concerns. In the [[Meech Lake Accord]], the federal government and all provincial premiers agreed to a series of amendments that decentralized some powers and recognized Quebec as a [[distinct society]]. The Accord, after fierce debate in English Canada, fell apart in dramatic fashion in the summer of 1990, as two provinces failed to ratify it within the three-year time limit required by the constitution. This prompted outrage among Quebec nationalists and a surge in support for sovereignty. While the Accord was collapsing, [[Lucien Bouchard]], a cabinet minister in Mulroney's government, led a coalition of six [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]] members of parliament and one [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] MP from Quebec to form a new federal party devoted to Quebec sovereignty, the {{langr|fr|[[Bloc Québécois]]}}.

Following these events, Bourassa said that a referendum would be held in 1992, with either sovereignty or a new constitutional agreement as the subject.{{sfn|Cardinal (2005)|p=31}} This prompted a national referendum on the [[Charlottetown Accord]] of 1992, a series of constitutional amendments that included the proposals of the Meech Lake Accord as well as other matters. The Accord was rejected by a majority of voters both in Quebec and English Canada.

In the [[1993 Canadian federal election|1993 federal election]], the Liberals returned to power with a majority government under [[Jean Chrétien]], who had been [[Minister of Justice]] during the 1980–81 constitutional discussions and the Bloc Québécois won 54 seats with 49.3% of Quebec's vote. The result made the Bloc the second largest party in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]], giving it the role of [[Official Opposition (Canada)|Official Opposition]] and allowing Bouchard to confront Chrétien in [[Question Period]] on a daily basis.

In Quebec, the [[1994 Quebec general election|1994 provincial election]] brought the {{langr|fr|Parti Québécois}} back to power, led by [[Jacques Parizeau]]. The party's platform promised to hold a referendum on sovereignty during the first year of its term in office.<ref>Benesh, Peter. "As Quebec goes, so goes Canada". ''[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]''. September 12, 1994.</ref> The PQ won a majority government with 44.75% of the popular vote, just ahead of the Liberals' 44.4%.