Quebec Liberal Party

History

Pre-Confederation

The Liberal Party is descended from the Parti canadien (or Parti Patriote), who supported the 1837 Lower Canada Rebellion, and the Parti rouge, which fought for responsible government and against the authority of the Roman Catholic Church in Lower Canada.

The most notable figure of this period was Louis-Joseph Papineau.

Post-Confederation

The Liberals were in opposition to the ruling Conservatives for most of the first 20 years after Canadian Confederation, except for 18 months of Liberal minority government in 1878–1879. However, the situation changed in 1885 when the federal Conservative government refused to commute the death sentence of Louis Riel, the leader of the French-speaking Métis people of western Canada. This decision was unpopular in Quebec. Honoré Mercier rode this wave of discontent to power in 1887, but was brought down by a scandal in 1891. He was later cleared of all charges. The Conservatives returned to power until 1897.

The Liberals won the 1897 election, and held power without interruption for the next 39 years; the Conservatives never held power in Quebec again. This mirrored the situation in Ottawa, where the arrival of Wilfrid Laurier in the 1896 federal election marked the beginning of Liberal Party of Canada dominance at the federal level. Notable long-serving Premiers of Quebec in this era were Lomer Gouin and Louis-Alexandre Taschereau.

By 1935, the Conservatives had an ambitious new leader, Maurice Duplessis. Duplessis merged his party with dissident ex-Liberals who had formed the Action libérale nationale. Duplessis led the new party, the Union Nationale (UN), to power in the 1936 election. The Liberals returned to power in the 1939 election, but lost it again in the 1944 election. They remained in opposition to the Union Nationale until one year after Duplessis's death in 1959.

In 1955, the QLP severed its affiliation with the Liberal Party of Canada.

Modern history

The Quebec Liberal Party has faced various opposing parties in its history. Its main opponent from the time of the Confederation (1867) to the 1930s was the Parti conservateur du Québec. That party's successor, the Union Nationale, was the main opposition to the Liberals until the 1970s. Since then the Liberals have alternated in power with the Parti Québécois, a Quebec sovereigntist, self-described social-democratic party and very recently with the Coalition Avenir Québec, a Quebec autonomist and conservative party.

The contemporary Quebec Liberal Party is a broad-based federalist and multiculturalist coalition, including among its members supporters of the federal Liberals, New Democratic Party, Bloc Québécois, Greens, and Conservatives.

Under Jean Lesage, the party won an historic election victory in 1960, ending sixteen years of rule by the national-conservative Union Nationale. This marked the beginning of the Quiet Revolution, which dramatically changed Quebec society. During the 1960s a social-democratic faction within the party was especially prominent and the party was seen as being on the centre-left. Under the slogans C'est l'temps qu'ça change (it's time for change) in 1960 and maîtres chez nous (masters in our own house) in 1962, the Quebec government undertook several major initiatives, including: full nationalization of the electricity industry through merger of 11 private companies with the government-owned Hydro-Québec — this major initiative of the government was led by the minister of natural resources, René Lévesque, in 1963, the creation of a public pension plan, the Régie des rentes du Québec (QPP/RRQ), separate from the Canada Pension Plan that exists in all other provinces of Canada, and creation of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), the elimination of tuition fees for public elementary & secondary schools and creation of the Ministère de l'éducation du Québec, secularisation of schools and hospitals, creation of the Société générale de financement (SGF), creation of the first incarnation of the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF, originally OLF), mandatory call for bids for all public works contracts above $25,000 (René Lévesque, 1960), creation of Obligations d'épargne du Québec (Quebec savings bonds) in 1963, right to strike in public service (1964), and the creation of an office in Paris, introduction of the Gérin-Lajoie doctrine (meaning that Quebec has rights to its own international presence matching its domestic range of jurisdiction).

Under Lesage, the Liberals developed a Quebec nationalist wing. In July 1964, the Quebec Liberal Federation led by Lesage formally disaffiliated from the federal Liberal Party of Canada, making the Quebec Liberal Party a distinct organization from its federal counterpart.

Party leaders

Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière (1867–1883) (premier 1878–1879)

Honoré Mercier (1883–1892) (premier 1887–1891)

Félix-Gabriel Marchand (1892–1900) (premier 1897–1900)

Simon-Napoléon Parent (1900–1905) (premier 1900–1905)

Lomer Gouin (1905–1920) (premier 1905–1920)

Louis-Alexandre Taschereau (1920–1936) (premier 1920–1936)

Adélard Godbout (1936–1949) (premier 1936, 1939–1944)

George Carlyle Marler (interim) (1949–1950)

Georges-Émile Lapalme (1950–1958)

Jean Lesage (31 May 1958 – 17 January 1970) (premier 1960–1966)

Robert Bourassa (17 January 1970 – 1976) (premier 1970–1976)

Gérard D. Levesque (interim) (1976–1978)

Claude Ryan (1978–1982)

Gérard D. Levesque (interim) (1982–1983)

Robert Bourassa (1983–1994) (premier 1985–1994)

Daniel Johnson Jr. (1994–1998) (premier 1994)

Monique Gagnon-Tremblay (interim) (1998)

Jean Charest (1998–2012) (premier 2003–2012)

2026 Quebec general election

Economy and employment

For the 2026 Quebec general election, the Quebec Liberal Party (QLP) places economic growth, productivity and job creation among its main priorities. The party proposes an industrial policy aimed at increasing the manufacturing sector's contribution to Quebec's gross domestic product from 12% to 15% by 2035, restoring funding for College Centres for the Transfer of Technologies and the Conseil de l'innovation, and reducing the tax rate for small and medium-sized businesses from 11.5% to 10%. It also proposes reducing the administrative burden on businesses through a two-for-one regulatory rule and mandatory deadlines for government approvals. In response to U.S. tariffs, the party proposes measures to support affected businesses and diversify Quebec's export markets.

Health care and public services

The QLP proposes expanding access to public health care through a province-wide telehealth platform integrated into primary care. The platform would provide patients with access to health professionals, including nurses, physician assistants and physicians, while maintaining in-person care when a physical examination is required. The party also identifies public services, particularly health care and education, as central to its economic and regional development agenda.

Housing

Housing is one of the QLP's principal campaign priorities. The party proposes eventually reaching 100,000 housing starts per year and refunding 36% of the Quebec sales tax on the purchase of a new house or condominium. It also proposes adding 40,000 social and affordable housing units over five years, including through new construction and acquisitions, with a target of 10,000 additional units per year by the end of the mandate. The party also proposes increasing the share of non-market housing to 20% of the housing market by 2050.

Education

The QLP proposes holding a national forum on Quebec's education system within the first 100 days of a Liberal government. It also proposes compensating certain currently unpaid internships in the public sector and reviewing and simplifying student financial aid, including its eligibility criteria. Other commitments include making reading a national priority, combating illiteracy, protecting funding for school books and libraries, and providing a clearer ethical framework for the use of artificial intelligence in education and public institutions.

Regional development and natural resources

The QLP proposes preserving and expanding public services in Quebec's regions and increasing regional participation in economic development and immigration planning. It proposes involving regions in determining their capacity to receive immigrants, revising the mining royalty system and creating a fund for mining communities. The party also proposes modernizing Quebec's forestry regime and improving transportation and telecommunications infrastructure in the regions.

Immigration and integration

The QLP proposes linking immigration planning more closely to regional economic needs and local capacity. Its 2026 commitments include giving the regions a role in determining their capacity to receive immigrants and strengthening French-language integration, including through increased funding for French-language training and improved French-language training in the workplace.

French language and culture

The QLP proposes an additional $380 million over four years for its French-language plan. The plan includes measures relating to reading, French-language instruction, francization, educational success, culture and the promotion of French in areas where its vitality is considered to be under pressure. The party presents French as Quebec's official and common language and emphasizes strengthening its use through education, integration and cultural initiatives.

Federalism and Quebec's place in Canada

The QLP maintains its federalist position and presents Quebec's development within the Canadian federation as part of its political vision. During the 2026 campaign, Charles Milliard has emphasized strengthening Quebec's economy while maintaining and developing its relationships with the rest of Canada, including through increased interprovincial trade and economic cooperation.