Conservative Party of Quebec

"Conservative Party of Quebec (2009–present)" redirects here. For the historical party, see Conservative Party of Quebec (historical). For the party that existed from 1982 to 1989, see Progressive Conservative Party of Quebec.

Conservative Party of Quebec
Parti conservateur du Québec
AbbreviationCPQ (English)
PCQ (French)
LeaderÉric Duhaime
PresidentChantal Dauphinais
Founder(s)Serge Fontaine
Bertrand Goulet
Founded25 March 2009; 15 years ago (2009-03-25)
Headquarters400-1020 Bouvier Road
Quebec City, Quebec
G2K 0K9
Membership (April 17, 2022)Increase 57,346[1]
Ideology
Political positionCentre-right to right-wing
Seats in the National Assembly
0 / 125
Website
www.conservative.quebec

The Conservative Party of Quebec (CPQ; French: Parti conservateur du Québec, pronounced [paʁti kɔ̃sɛʁvatœʁ dy kebɛk], PCQ) is a provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. It was authorized on 25 March 2009 by the Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec.[2] The CPQ has gradually run more candidates in successive elections, with 27 in the 2012 general election and 125 (all seats contested) in 2022. The party has not won a seat in the National Assembly of Quebec; however, under leader Éric Duhaime the CPQ won about 12.9% of the popular vote in the 2022 election, a major increase from prior elections. Previously on June 18, 2021 Claire Samson crossed the floor to join the party after having won election in 2018 as a candidate of the governing Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ).

For the 2014 provincial election, the party used the name "Équipe Adrien Pouliot – Parti conservateur du Québec" (English: Team Adrien Pouliot – Conservative Party of Quebec). For the 2022 provincial election, the party used the name "Parti conservateur du Québec – Équipe Éric Duhaime" (English: Conservative Party of Quebec – Team Éric Duhaime).

History

[edit]
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Initial phase

[edit]

In 2009, former Union Nationale Members of the National Assembly of Quebec (MNAs) Serge Fontaine and Bertrand Goulet announced the formation of a new Conservative Party of Quebec.[3]

In November 2009, Fontaine offered Éric Caire, who at the time sat with the Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ), the opportunity to join the party and become its leader, with the goal of attracting disaffected ADQ supporters. This did not materialize and Caire sat as an independent[4] before joining the Coalition Avenir Québec in 2011.

In November 2011, party leader Fontaine left the Conservative Party to join the CAQ led by François Legault.[5]

2012 and later

[edit]

In January 2012, the party, which still existed on paper, was taken over by the former federal Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for the Louis-Hébert riding, Luc Harvey, who became its leader.

In contrast to the newly formed CAQ, which is neutral on the sovereignty issue, Harvey said the Conservatives will be federalist, promote a social conservative agenda and a flat tax.[6]

In March 2012, the party's website announced that former Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ) MNAs Monique Roy Verville and Albert De Martin would run for the party in the upcoming election.[7]

On 10 September 2012, it was announced that Harvey was stepping down as party leader.[8] De Martin was named interim leader on 21 September.[9]

In December 2012, De Martin launched a leadership election. As a result, two contenders, Daniel Brisson and Adrien D. Pouliot, declared their intention to run.

In mid-February 2013, Brisson withdrew from the leadership election,[10] leaving Pouliot as the sole candidate.

Pouliot was acclaimed the new leader on 23 February 2013 and immediately put a new constitution forward for the members present at its convention. It was immediately ratified by all the members and refocused the stance of the party to more of a centre-right value system. Later that day, he took a stance against the proposed Parti Québécois laws 14 and 20.[11]

In the 2014 provincial election, the party nominated 60 candidates, who won 16,429 votes, 0.4 percent of the total votes cast in the province.[12] In the 2018 election, these numbers increased to 101 nominated candidates winning 59,055 votes, or 1.5 percent of the total votes.[13]

On 16 October 2020, Adrien Pouliot announced he would be resigning as leader of the party to pursue further business ventures, but opted to stay on until a new leader was elected in the 2021 leadership election, which was won by columnist Éric Duhaime who handily defeated repeat candidate Brisson in a two-way contest.[14][15][16][17][18]

On 18 June 2021, Claire Samson became the first member of the modern Conservative Party of Quebec to sit in the Quebec legislature.[a][19] This followed her expulsion from the CAQ three days prior, after she donated $100 to the Conservative Party of Quebec.[20]

The Conservative Party of Quebec nominated candidates in all 125 ridings for the 2022 provincial election. The party won 12.91% of the popular vote, placing fifth in the popular vote and winning no seats despite four opposition parties being closely matched in the popular vote, but performing strongly in many ridings, especially in the Capitale-Nationale and Chaudière-Appalaches regions with a strong conservative tradition. However, the party made gains throughout the province at the expense of Liberals, reducing the Liberal vote share in its traditional strongholds such as Montreal. Party leader Duhaime expressed his opposition to Bill 96.

Executive

[edit]

The Conservative Party of Quebec's executive consists of its leader, its president, its secretary-general, an official agent, an executive director, committee chairs, and regional vice-presidents.[21]

  • Leader: Éric Duhaime
  • President: Chantal Dauphinais
  • Vice-president: Donald Gagnon
  • Official Agent: Patrice Raza
  • Interim Executive Director: Eric Tetrault
  • Secretary-General & Chairperson of the Constitution Committee: Konstantinos Merakos
  • Chairperson of the Communications Committee: Eric Tetrault
  • Chairperson of the Organizational & Finance Committee: Olivier Dumais
  • Chairperson of the Policy Committee: Karim Elayoubi
  • Regional Vice-presidents:
    • Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Côte-Nord: Louise Moreault
    • Montreal and Laval: Marie-France Lemay
    • Capitale-Nationale and Chaudière-Appalaches: Christian Gauthier
    • Mauricie, Centre-du-Québec and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean: Jessy Comtois
    • Montérégie and Estrie: Marylaine Bélair
    • Nord-du-Québec, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Outaouais, Laurentides and Lanaudière: Ange Claude Bigilimana

Leaders

[edit]
See also: Conservative Party of Quebec leadership elections
Leader Term start Term end Constituency Notes
1st Serge Fontaine 25 March 2009 November 2011 Nicolet-Yamaska Inaugural leader, later defected to the Coalition Avenir Québec.
— Vacant November 2011 18 January 2012 N/A The position of leader was left vacant from November 2011 to January 2012. No interim leader was appointed.
2nd Luc Harvey 18 January 2012 11 September 2012 Lévis Previously served as the federal MP for Louis-Hébert. Resigned shortly after the 2012 election.
— Albert De Martin 21 September 2012 23 February 2013 Huntingdon Interim leader.
3rd Adrien D. Pouliot 23 February 2013 17 April 2021 Montmorency,
later Chauveau		 Longest serving leader. Resigned to pursue further business ventures.
4th Éric Duhaime 17 April 2021 Incumbent Deux-Montagnes,
later Chauveau

Led party to 12.9% of the popular vote in the 2022 general election from 1.5% in 2018.

Election results

[edit]
Election Leader Seats contested Seats won +/- Votes % Rank Status/Gov.
2012 Luc Harvey
27 / 125
0 / 125
 Steady 7,652 0.2% Steady 7th Extra-parliamentary
2014 Adrien D. Pouliot
60 / 125
0 / 125
 Steady Increase 16,429 Increase 0.4% Steady 7th Extra-parliamentary
2018
101 / 125
0 / 125
 Steady Increase 59,053 Increase 1.5% Increase 6th Extra-parliamentary
2022 Éric Duhaime
125 / 125
0 / 125
 Steady Increase 530,804 Increase 12.9% Increase 5th Extra-parliamentary

Notes

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  1. ^ Samson was the first member of the National Assembly of Quebec to identify as a Conservative since 1936.

References

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  1. ^ "Les nouveaux partisans du Parti conservateur du Québec" (in Canadian French). 3 May 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Parti conservateur du Québec". Directeur général des élections du Québec. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  3. ^ "Politique : Le Parti conservateur du Québec renaît | Mauricie". Radio-Canada.ca. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  4. ^ "Tensions à l'ADQ : Le Parti conservateur du Québec tisse des liens | Mauricie". Radio-Canada.ca. 19 October 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  5. ^ Ruel, Hélène (17 January 2012). "La CAQ veut s'ancrer dans Arthabaska" (in French). La Nouvelle Union. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  6. ^ "Former MP launches Quebec Conservative Party". CTV News. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  7. ^ "Ils choisissent le Parti conservateur du Québec". Parti conservateur du Québec. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ Bussières, Ian (10 September 2012). "Le Parti conservateur du Québec n'a plus de chef" (in French). Le Soleil. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  9. ^ "Albert de Martin devient le chef intérimaire du Parti conservateur du Québec" (in French). Conservative Party of Quebec. 21 September 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^ "Withdrawal of Mr. Daniel Brisson's candidature". CNW Group. 14 February 2013. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  11. ^ "Adrien D. Pouliot opposes Bill 14 and Bill 20". Parti conservateur du Quebec. 24 February 2013. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  12. ^ Directeur général des élections du Québec, April 9, 2014 Final 2:24 pm Archived 9 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "Résultats des élections générales provinciales 2018 | Élections provinciales". Élections Québec (in French). Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  14. ^ "En route pour 2022!" (in Canadian French). 16 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Columnist, radio host Eric Duhaime elected leader of Conservative Party of Quebec". 17 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  16. ^ Saba, Michel (17 April 2021). "L'animateur Éric Duhaime élu chef du Parti conservateur du Québec". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Éric Duhaime, nouveau chef du Parti conservateur du Québec" (in Canadian French). 17 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  18. ^ "Columnist Éric Duhaime becomes new leader of Conservative Party of Quebec". 18 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Quebec Conservatives recruit ex-CAQ Claire Samson as party's first legislature member". CBC. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Claire Samson booted from CAQ caucus over donation to rival party". 16 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  21. ^ "Bureau exécutif" (in Canadian French). Retrieved 10 June 2021.
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