Article

Parti national

Published Online February 7, 2006

Last Edited February 19, 2014

The Parti national was a political party founded in 1871 by Québec Liberals including Honoré MERCIER and Louis Jetté. It unsuccessfully attempted to acquire the clerical support for liberalism that the PARTI ROUGE lacked. Mercier revived it in 1885 during the uproar over Louis RIEL's execution.

Parti national

The Parti national was a political party founded in 1871 by Québec Liberals including Honoré MERCIER and Louis Jetté. It unsuccessfully attempted to acquire the clerical support for liberalism that the PARTI ROUGE lacked. Mercier revived it in 1885 during the uproar over Louis RIEL's execution. The Parti national, a coalition of Liberals and disenchanted Québec Conservatives using a platform based on French Canadian nationalism, won a majority in the 1886 provincial election. The Conservatives tried to stay in power, but without success. Sir Louis-Olivier TAILLON was premier for only 4 days, and was defeated in the House in January 1887. Mercier became premier and the party governed Québec until 1891, when the Mercier ministry was dismissed by the lieutenant-governor for involvement in the BAIE DES CHALEURS SCANDAL. It was soundly defeated in the 1892 provincial election.