Bloc Populaire Canadien
The Bloc Populaire Canadien was a political party in Quebec founded on 8 September 1942 by opponents of conscription during World War II. In the 27 April 1942 national referendum, a little more than 70 per cent of Québec citizens refused to free the federal government from its promise to avoid a general mobilization, while about 80 per cent of the citizens of the rest of the Dominion accepted it.
The party was inspired by the nationalist ideas of Henri Bourassa and supported by Montreal mayor Camillien Houde. Jean Drapeau and Pierre Trudeau were members in their youth. The party ran candidates at both federal and provincial level.
In addition to opposing conscription, the party aimed to defend provincial autonomy and the rights of French-Canadians. The party's motto was 'Le Canada aux Canadiens (non aux Britanniques) et le Québec aux Québécois (non aux Canadiens anglais)' - Canada for Canadians (not for the British) and Quebec for Quebeckers (not for English Canadians).
At the provincial level it was led by André Laurendeau and won four seats in the 1944 Quebec general election, but soon lost popularity. Laurendeau resigned in July 1947 and the party dissolved and did not participate in the 1948 general election.
At the federal level it was led by Maxime Raymond, who had been a Liberal MP since 1925 but crossed the floor over the issue of conscription. Three additional Liberal MPs from Quebec, Éduard Lacroix, Pierre Gauthier and Joseph Emile Stanislas Emmanuel D'anjou crossed the floor to sit as Bloc MPs. The party ran 35 candidates in the 1945 Canadian election but elected only two MPs. The Bloc did not contest the 1949 federal election bringing the party's existence to an end.
Quebec provincial election results
| General election |
# of candidates |
# of seats won |
% of popular vote |
| 1944 |
80 |
4 |
14.40% |
See also
