Nicknames of politicians and personalities in Quebec
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A custom of Quebecers is to give
nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
s to their
politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
s (and some personalities), most especially their Premiers. Many of those given to Premiers are affectionate or even express admiration, while others are insulting.


Nicknames of Quebec Premiers

*
Maurice Duplessis Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis (; April 20, 1890 – September 7, 1959), was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 16th premier of Quebec. A conservative, nationalist, anti-Communist, anti-unionist and fervent Catholic, he and hi ...
(1936–1939 and 1944–1959): Le Chef ''("The Leader" or "The Chief")''. Often pronounced (and even spelled) "Le Cheuf", to reflect an old-fashioned joual pronunciation of the word. ** Often used disparagingly to evoke Duplessis's despotism. Nevertheless, he apparently used the nickname to refer to himself. * Daniel Johnson Sr. (1966–1968): Danny Boy. ** Name given to the portrayal of Johnson as a comical and clueless cowboy in
political cartoon A political cartoon, a form of editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically combine ...
s drawn by Normand Hudon before Johnson taking power. An apparent reference to his Irish roots. * Robert Bourassa (1970–1976 and 1985–1994) ** Boubou. *** Also inspired the term "
Boubou Macoutes Les Boubou Macoutes was the popular nickname of special inspectors who investigated and visited the homes of suspected "welfare cheats" in the Canadian province of Quebec during the second government of Premier Robert Bourassa, in the 1990s. The p ...
". ** L'homme le plus détesté du Québec ''("The most hated man of Quebec")''. *** A term used by historians to denote the unpopularity of Bourassa and his government before first losing power to
René Lévesque René Lévesque (; August 24, 1922 – November 1, 1987) was a Québécois politician and journalist who served as the 23rd premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985. He was the first Québécois political leader since Confederation to attempt ...
's
Parti Québécois The Parti Québécois (; ; PQ) is a sovereignist and social democratic provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. The PQ advocates national sovereignty for Quebec involving independence of the province of Quebec from Canada and establishin ...
in
1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...
. ** Bourassa I; Bourassa II. ***Terms historians use to refer to Bourassa and his governments under his first two mandates and his last two mandates as Premier, respectively. *
René Lévesque René Lévesque (; August 24, 1922 – November 1, 1987) was a Québécois politician and journalist who served as the 23rd premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985. He was the first Québécois political leader since Confederation to attempt ...
(1976–1985): Ti-Poil ''(literally, "Lil' Hair", but more accurately translated as "Baldy")''. ** A reminder of his often ruffled comb-over. *
Jacques Parizeau Jacques Parizeau (; August 9, 1930June 1, 2015) was a Canadian politician and Québécois economist who was a noted Quebec sovereigntist and the 26th premier of Quebec from September 26, 1994, to January 29, 1996. Early life and career Parize ...
(1994–1996): Monsieur ''("Sir")''. ** Positive and relatively appreciative reference to his well-known aristocratic pride and assurance. Source of the title of a 2003 documentary, ''Monsieur'' about Parizeau. *
Lucien Bouchard Lucien Bouchard (; born December 22, 1938) is a Canadian lawyer, diplomat and retired politician. Minister for two years in the Mulroney cabinet, Bouchard then led the emerging Bloc Québécois and became Leader of the Opposition in the Ho ...
(1996–2001): ** Madame Lulu. ** Barbe Bleue. *
Jean Charest John James "Jean" Charest (; born June 24, 1958) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 29th premier of Quebec from 2003 to 2012 and the fifth deputy prime minister of Canada in 1993. Charest was elected to the House o ...
(2003–2012): Charest has gained numerous nicknames: **Patapouf or Patapouf Premier ''("Patapouf the First")''. ***The name was rumoured to be a nickname given by Charest's wife, something he denied. It first came to be used in the campaign Destituons Patapouf!, an operation of disgruntled citizens who spread a petition from 2003 to 2004 to have Charest recalled, not unlike California governor Gray Davis.
Loco Locass Loco Locass are a Canadian hip hop group from Quebec formed in 1995. The group often defends the role of the French language, and champions Quebec sovereignty. Songs such as " ROC Rap" and "Résistance" highlight the band's political leanings, a ...
(music group), in their song Libérez-nous des libéraux ("Free us from the liberals") used this nickname to refer to him. The word is an
archetypal name An archetypal name is a proper name of a real person or mythological or fictional character that has become a designation for an archetype of a certain personal trait. It is a form of antonomasia. Archetypal names are a literary device used to all ...
for a clown in Quebec French (like
Bozo Bozo or bozo may refer to: People *Bozo people, a fishing people of the central Niger delta in Mali ** Bozo language, languages of the Bozo people * Frédéric Bozo, history Professor at the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle * Bozo Mille ...
). It is also a
pejorative A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...
way to talk about someone fat, so it could refer to the fact that he gained some weight. Patapouf Premier is a sarcastic variant that paints Charest as a farcical, despotic
monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power i ...
. Both are used mockingly. **Le Frisé ''("Curly")''. ***Referring to his famous curly hair. It is negative. A humorous, mocking song from irony rocker Mononc' Serge about the man is entitled "Le Frisé". **Le p'tit Saint-Jean-Baptiste ''("Lil' Saint John the Baptist")''. ***The Saint-Jean-Baptiste parades of first half of the 20th century usually featured a curly-haired boy representing
Saint John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
. It is therefore another mocking of Charest's hairstyle. This could also refer to Charest's birthdate, which is June 24, the feast of John the Baptist. **Le mouton ''("The Sheep")'' ***Another reference to his curly hair. Due to Google bombing, a search using Google's "I'm Feeling Lucky" option for "mouton insignifiant" (''insignificant sheep'') used to link to Charest's official MNA webpage. *
Pauline Marois Pauline Marois (; born March 29, 1949) is a retired Canadian politician, who served as the 30th premier of Quebec from 2012 to 2014. Marois had been a member of the National Assembly in various ridings since 1981 as a member of the Parti Québ ...
(2012–2014): **Dame de béton ''("The Concrete Lady")'' ***In reference to her toughness and that she had survived several challenges to her leadership from prominent members of her caucus. *
Philippe Couillard Philippe Couillard (; born June 26, 1957) is a Canadian business advisor and former neurosurgeon, university professor and politician who served as 31st premier of Quebec from 2014 to 2018. Between 2003 and 2008, he was Quebec's Minister of He ...
(2014–2018): **The Bear ***In reference to his beard, build and ambling gait. **Philippe-Flop ***Used by opposition parties as a pejorative against him, due to his perceived shifting of his positions on issues.


Similar nicknames

* Louis St. Laurent (
Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...
from 1948 to 1957): Oncle Louis ''("Uncle Louis")''. *
Camillien Houde Camillien Houde (August 13, 1889 – September 11, 1958) was a Quebec politician, a Member of Parliament, and a four-time mayor of Montreal – one of the few Canadian politicians to have served at all three levels of government. Political c ...
(Four-time
Mayor of Montreal The mayor of Montreal is head of the executive branch of the Montreal City Council. The current mayor is Valérie Plante, who was elected into office on November 5, 2017, and sworn in on November 16. The office of the mayor administers all ci ...
from the 1920s to the 1950s): Monsieur Montréal. *
Pacifique Plante Pacifique Plante (1907 – August 9, 1976 in Guadalajara, Mexico) was a crime fighting Montreal lawyer from the 1940s to the 1950s. He was also known as Pax Plante. Between 1940 and 1950, he waged war against organized crime, vice and corrup ...
(crimefighting lawyer from the 1940s to the 1950s): Pax Plante. *
Pierre Elliott Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and ...
(
Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...
from 1968 to 1979 and 1980 to 1984): Ti-Pet ''("Lil' Fart")'' or Pet ** Always derogatory. Trudeau's initials, P.E.T., were often used in
English Canada Canada comprises that part of the population within Canada, whether of British origin or otherwise, that speaks English. The term ''English Canada'' can also be used for one of the following: #Describing all the provinces of Canada tha ...
as alternative naming, and ''pet'' is French for fart. Since Trudeau was in power for many of the same years as Lévesque, the two were sometimes referenced humorously as "Ti-Pet et Ti-Poil". These initials were also popularly used to parody the name of the nationalized oil and gas company, PETRO Canada (founded during Trudeau's reign, then rendered as Trudeau ripping off Canada, possibly originating in
Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
* Brian Mulroney (
Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...
from 1984 to 1993): Lyin' Brian; le p'tit gars de Baie-Comeau ''("Little Guy from Baie-Comeau")'', "The chin that walks like a man" (a moniker given to him by columnist
Allan Fotheringham Allan Fotheringham (August 31, 1932August 19, 2020) was a Canadian newspaper and magazine journalist. He styled himself Dr. Foth and "the Great Gatheringfroth". He was described as "never at a loss for words". Early life Fotheringham was born ...
), and "Mini Trudeau" (a name given to him by René Lévesque for perceived similarities to Pierre Elliot Trudeau) ** Mulroney was born and raised in
Baie-Comeau Baie-Comeau (; 2021 city population 20,687; CA population 26,643) is a city located approximately north-east of Quebec City in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the shores of the Saint Lawrence River nea ...
, a city in the
Côte-Nord Côte-Nord (, ; ; land area ) is the second-largest administrative region by land area in Quebec, Canada, after Nord-du-Québec. It covers much of the northern shore of the Saint Lawrence River estuary and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence past Tadous ...
region of Quebec. * Jean Chrétien (
Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...
from 1993 to 2003): le p'tit gars de Shawinigan ''("Little Guy from Shawinigan")''. ** Chrétien received a similar nickname to Mulroney's. This refers to his own city of origin, Shawinigan, Quebec. Chrétien sometimes spoke of himself that way. * Mario Dumont (leader of the Action Démocratique from 1994 to 2009): Super Mario. **A common criticism of Dumont was his relatively young age. Super Mario is both a comment on his youth (referring to the Nintendo video game series
Super Mario Bros. is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The successor to the 1983 arcade game '' Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series, it was first released in 1985 for ...
, popular among children) and an
ironic Irony (), in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what on the surface appears to be the case and what is actually the case or to be expected; it is an important rhetorical device and literary technique. Irony can be categorized into ...
glorification of his
underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the ...
popularity. Rap group
Loco Locass Loco Locass are a Canadian hip hop group from Quebec formed in 1995. The group often defends the role of the French language, and champions Quebec sovereignty. Songs such as " ROC Rap" and "Résistance" highlight the band's political leanings, a ...
wrote a song called Super Mario in reference of Dumont. Since the election of 2007, when his party won 41 seats, after having won just 5 in the previous election), the nickname "Super Mario" isn't always pejorative *
Amir Khadir Amir Khadir ( fa, امیر خدیر; born June 12, 1961) is a Canadian politician in the National Assembly of Quebec (MNA), Canada for the electoral district of Mercier, and the first male spokesperson for Québec solidaire, a sovereigntist and ...
(leader and MNA of
Québec solidaire Québec solidaire (QS; ) is a democratic socialist and sovereigntist political party in Quebec, Canada. The party and media outlets in Canada usually use the name "Québec solidaire" in both French and English, but the party's name is sometimes ...
): "Godasse Khadir" (in French slang, godasse means ''old shoe''). Khadir was nicknamed Godasse after throwing a shoe on an effigy of
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
in 2008, during a protest held in Montreal for journalist
Muntadhar al-Zaidi Muntadhar al-Zaidi ( ar, منتظر الزيدي ''Muntaẓar az-Zaydī''; born 15 January 1979) is an Iraqi broadcast journalist who served as a correspondent for Iraqi-owned, Egyptian-based Al-Baghdadia TV. , al-Zaidi works with a Lebanes ...
, famous for throwing a pair of shoes at the U.S. president in Iraq. *
Jack Layton John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian academic and politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on To ...
(leader of the New Democratic Party): "le bon Jack" (''un bon jack'' meaning a nice guy).'Jackomania' in Quebec puts Layton in opponents' crosshairs – The Globe and Mail
/ref> *
Thomas Mulcair Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) Thomas is a male given name of Aramaic origins. The English spelling "Thomas" is a transliteration; through Latin "Thomas", of the approximate Greek translite ...
(Leader of the New Democratic Party) "Pinocchio". For his diametrically opposed views that he publicly states depending on the language and/or the province he delivers the message. A well known example is "Nous sommes contre Energy East, we're for Energy East". *
Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...
(Current
Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...
): "Mini-pet" : (in relation to his aforementioned father's nicknames)


See also

*
Lists of nicknames This is a list of nickname-related list articles on Wikipedia. A nickname is "a familiar or humorous name given to a person or thing instead of or as well as the real name." A nickname is often considered desirable, symbolising a form of acceptance ...
– nickname list articles on Wikipedia


References

{{reflist Culture of Quebec Politics of Quebec Politicians And Personalities In Quebec Politicians in Quebec Pol Quebec-related lists
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 ...