The Parti National was the name taken by the

Liberal Party of Quebec The Quebec Liberal Party (QLP; french: Parti libéral du Québec, PLQ) is a provincial political party in Quebec. It has been independent of the federal Liberal Party of Canada since 1955. The QLP has always been associated with the colour red; ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, under the premiership of

Honoré Mercier Honoré Mercier (October 15, 1840 – October 30, 1894) was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician in Quebec. He was the ninth premier of Quebec from January 27, 1887, to December 21, 1891, as leader of the Parti National or Quebec Liberal ...

Origin and beliefs

It was founded on November 17, 1885, the day following the execution of Métis Leader

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of Canada and its first ...

. Many French-speaking

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

s resented the way the federal government of Sir John A. Macdonald had Riel hanged for treason. Mercier proposed to create a broader coalition which would include

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

dissidents as well as his Liberal base. In the following days 50,000 people gathered in the Champ de Mars in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

to hear Mercier voice their support for Riel. The Parti National, which was not affiliated with any federal party, promised to use the influence of the provincial government protect the autonomy of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

and of its French-speaking and Catholic identity.

Rise to power

The party won a narrow majority of seats to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in the 1886 provincial election and took office in January 1887. It won a landslide victory in the 1890 election, doing poorly only in the Mauricie area where it was opposed by Ultramontan

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Louis-François Richer Laflèche Louis-François Laflèche, (September 4, 1818 – July 14, 1898), was a Catholic bishop of the diocese of Trois-Rivières, in the province of Quebec, Canada. Early life and career He was born on September 4, 1818, in the village of Sainte-Ann ...

. Its achievements include: * Organizing the first interprovincial conference in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

in 1887 * Passing the ''Jesuit Estates Act'', which gave the order $400,000 in compensation for loss of property confiscated by the government decades earlier * Establishing a department of Agriculture and Colonization in 1887 and appointing Curé Labelle as its deputy minister * Expanding the railroad to support the migration of urban residents to rural parts of Quebec, such as the

Laurentides The Laurentides () is a region of Quebec. While it is often called the Laurentians in English, the region includes only part of the Laurentian mountains. It has a total land area of and its population was 589,400 inhabitants as of the 2016 Cens ...

and Gaspésie * Creating night schools, starting in 1889

Decline

With only 18 months served in its second term of office, the National Party was caught in a corruption scandal and removed from office by Quebec Lieutenant-governor

Auguste-Réal Angers Sir Auguste-Réal Angers (4 October 1837 – 14 April 1919) was a Canadian judge and parliamentarian, holding seats both as a member of the House of Commons of Canada, and as a Senator. He was born in 1837 probably in Quebec City and died in ...

. Mercier stepped down as party leader and the Liberals were overwhelmingly defeated in the 1892 election. Mercier was later cleared of all charges.

Other ''Partis Nationaux''

* Mercier had tried to create a "Parti national" in 1872. This first attempt seems to have been short-lived and fruitless. Biography of Honoré Mercier, Assemblée nationale du Québec
*

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...

politicians

René Chaloult René Chaloult (January 26, 1901 – December 20, 1978) was a nationalist politician in Quebec, Canada. Background He was born on January 26, 1901, in Quebec City. Political career Chaloult first won a seat to the Legislative Assembly of ...

Oscar Drouin Oscar Drouin (September 29, 1890 – July 16, 1953) was a politician in Quebec, Canada. Background He was born on September 29, 1890 in Quebec City. Member of the legislature Drouin won a by-election in 1928 and became the Liberal Member ...

Joseph-Ernest Grégoire Joseph-Ernest Grégoire (July 31, 1886 – September 17, 1980) was a French Canadian politician. Background He was born in Disraeli, Quebec on July 31, 1886. He was an attorney and a professor. Member of the Barreau du Quebec in 1913, ...

Philippe Hamel Philippe Hamel (October 12, 1884 – January 22, 1954) was a Quebec nationalism, nationalist and Progressivism, progressive politician in Quebec, Canada. Background He was born on October 12, 1884, in Quebec City. His father was Charles-Ant ...

and

Adolphe Marcoux Adolphe Marcoux (October 29, 1884 – September 10, 1951) was a physician and a nationalist politician in Quebec, Canada. Born in Beauport, Quebec, Marcoux won a seat to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec as a Union Nationale candidate in ...

announced the creation of a "Parti National" in 1937, after they had left the Union Nationale. It seems that this effort was abandoned briefly after. Chalout and Drouin ran as Liberals in the 1939 election.

Footnotes

External links