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1970 Quebec general election

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1970 Quebec general election
← 1966 April 29, 1970 1973 →
← outgoing memberselected members →
108 seats in the 29th National Assembly of Quebec
55 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Robert Bourassa Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Party Liberal Union Nationale
Leader since January 17, 1970 October 2, 1968
Leader's seat Mercier Missisquoi
Last election 50 seats, 47.29% 56 seats, 40.82%
Seats won 72 17
Seat change Increase22 Decrease39
Popular vote 1,304,341 564,544
Percentage 45.40% 19.65%
Swing Decrease1.9% Decrease21.17%
  Third party Fourth party
  PC
Leader Camil Samson René Lévesque
Party Parti créditiste Parti Québécois
Leader since March 22, 1970 October 14, 1968
Leader's seat Rouyn-Noranda Laurier (lost re-election)
Last election pre-creation pre-creation
Seats won 12 7
Seat change Increase12 Increase7
Popular vote 321,370 662,404
Percentage 11.19% 23.06%
Swing Increase11.19% Increase23.06
Premier before election

Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Union Nationale

Premier after election

Robert Bourassa
Liberal

The 1970 Quebec general election was held on April 29, 1970, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec. The former Legislative Assembly had been renamed the "National Assembly" in 1968, with its members now known in English as Members of the National Assembly (MNAs).

In the election, the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Robert Bourassa, defeated the incumbent Union Nationale, led by Premier Jean-Jacques Bertrand.

This election marked the first appearance by a new party, the sovereigntist Parti Québécois, led by former Liberal cabinet minister René Lévesque. The PQ won a modest seven seats and came second in the popular vote, although Lévesque was defeated in his own riding.

Only a few months after the election, Quebec faced a severe test with the October Crisis, in which Liberal cabinet minister Pierre Laporte was kidnapped and assassinated by the Front de libération du Québec, a violent pro-independence group.

The Union Nationale, which had governed Quebec through most of the 1940s and 1950s, would never come close to winning power again. This was partly because a significant number of the Union Nationale's younger supporters had embraced sovereigntism and shifted their support to the PQ.

Campaign

The Liberals, Unionists and péquistes all fielded full slates, and the créditistes also nominated 99 candidates, so most constituencies experienced at least four-way contests:

Riding contests, by number of candidates (1970)
Candidates Lib UN PQ RC Ind NDP I-PQ I-Cr Comm Soc-W Total
3 4 4 4 12
4 76 76 76 74 2 304
5 21 21 21 18 14 7 1 1 1 105
6 4 4 4 4 6 2 24
7 3 3 3 3 6 2 1 21
Total 108 108 108 99 26 13 1 1 1 1 466

Results

Elections to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec (1970)
Political party Party leader MNAs Votes
Candidates 1966 1970 ± # ± % ± (pp)
Liberal Robert Bourassa 108 50 72 22Increase 1,304,341 204,906Increase 45.40% 1.89Decrease
Union Nationale Jean-Jacques Bertrand 108 56 17 39Decrease 564,544 384,384Decrease 19.65% 21.17Decrease
Ralliement créditiste Camil Samson 99 – 12 12Increase 321,370 321,370Increase 11.19% New
Parti Québécois René Lévesque 108 – 7 7Increase 662,404 458,689Increase 23.06% 14.30Increase
Independent 26 2 – 2Decrease 12,528 51,906Decrease 0.44% 2.33Decrease
  Other candidates
█ New Democratic Roland Morin 13 – – – 4,374 4,374Increase 0.15% New
█ Independent PQ 1 – – – 2,998 2,998Increase 0.10% New
█ Independent Créditiste 1 – – – 53 53Increase – New
█ Communist Sam Walsh 1 – – – 213 289Decrease 0.01% 0.01Decrease
█ Socialist Workers 1 – – – 145 145Increase 0.01% New
Total 466 108 108 2,872,970 100.00%
Rejected ballots 57,029 11,348Increase
Voter turnout 2,929,999 559,489Increase 84.23 10.66Increase
Registered electors 3,478,578 256,276Increase
  1. 1970 results compared to 1966 combined RIN/RN total
Seats and popular vote by party
Party Seats Votes Change (pp)
█ Liberal 72 / 108 45.40% -1.89  
█ Union Nationale 17 / 108 19.65% -21.17  
█ Ralliement créditiste 12 / 108 11.19% 11.19 11.19 
█ Parti Québécois 7 / 108 23.06% 14.30 14.3 
█ Independent 0 / 108 0.44% -2.33  
█ Other 0 / 108 0.36% -0.10  

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1970 Quebec general election
Riding Winning party Turnout
 Votes
Name 1966 Party Votes Share Margin
# 		Margin
% 		Lib PQ UN RC Ind NDP Other Total
 
Abitibi-Est Lib RC 15,151 43.11% 4,320 12.29% 81.95% 10,831 4,937 4,224 15,151 – – – 35,143
Abitibi-Ouest Lib RC 6,285 46.52% 1,602 11.86% 87.66% 4,683 917 1,626 6,285 – – – 13,511
Ahuntsic Lib Lib 17,208 45.53% 972 2.57% 87.68% 17,208 16,236 3,760 588 – – – 37,792
Argenteuil Lib Lib 9,620 57.98% 5,656 34.09% 86.93% 9,620 1,563 3,964 1,345 99 – – 16,591
Arthabaska UN Lib 8,715 32.13% 263 0.97% 89.88% 8,715 3,852 5,983 8,452 119 – – 27,121
Bagot UN UN 4,591 37.74% 1,250 10.27% 89.29% 3,341 917 4,591 3,280 37 – – 12,166
Beauce UN RC 11,804 38.45% 2,444 7.96% 84.37% 8,139 1,393 9,360 11,804 – – – 30,696
Beauharnois Lib Lib 12,384 43.00% 2,937 10.20% 89.87% 12,384 9,447 5,515 1,453 – – – 28,799
Bellechasse UN UN 6,111 50.56% 3,043 25.18% 85.73% 3,068 311 6,111 2,596 – – – 12,086
Berthier UN UN 5,387 37.72% 164 1.15% 86.29% 5,223 2,866 5,387 807 – – – 14,283
Bonaventure Lib Lib 11,803 60.39% 6,729 34.43% 83.93% 11,803 2,155 5,074 513 – – – 19,545
Bourassa Lib Lib 22,197 45.59% 1,371 2.82% 80.48% 22,197 20,826 4,265 1,401 – – – 48,689
Bourget UN PQ 15,565 40.25% 500 1.29% 85.65% 15,065 15,565 6,689 1,246 – 108 – 38,673
Brome Lib Lib 4,666 63.21% 3,036 41.13% 85.54% 4,666 299 1,630 787 – – – 7,382
Chambly Lib Lib 25,641 56.74% 11,273 24.95% 87.41% 25,641 14,368 3,948 1,231 – – – 45,188
Champlain UN Lib 9,334 33.06% 2,534 8.98% 86.96% 9,334 5,403 6,800 6,696 – – – 28,233
Charlevoix Lib Lib 6,602 42.59% 2,439 15.73% 85.40% 6,602 1,680 4,163 3,058 – – – 15,503
Châteauguay Lib Lib 14,536 59.53% 10,013 41.00% 87.31% 14,536 4,493 4,523 867 – – – 24,419
Chauveau UN Lib 18,469 36.61% 5,121 10.15% 85.94% 18,469 9,399 9,235 13,348 – – – 50,451
Chicoutimi UN UN 8,614 36.74% 1,283 5.47% 87.80% 7,331 7,090 8,614 409 – – – 23,444
Compton UN Lib 3,613 32.09% 270 2.40% 86.94% 3,613 1,030 3,274 3,343 – – – 11,260
D'Arcy-McGee Lib Lib 36,543 90.41% 33,313 82.42% 85.06% 36,543 3,230 647 – – – – 40,420
Deux-Montagnes Lib Lib 12,106 54.21% 6,949 31.12% 87.86% 12,106 4,199 5,157 870 – – – 22,332
Dorchester UN RC 6,067 35.30% 1,684 9.80% 78.84% 4,383 2,490 4,245 6,067 – – – 17,185
Dorion Lib Lib 13,183 45.94% 3,525 12.28% 78.67% 13,183 9,658 4,851 859 – – 145 28,696
Drummond Lib Lib 13,269 40.16% 5,420 16.41% 87.87% 13,269 6,888 5,032 7,849 – – – 33,038
Dubuc UN UN 8,793 36.19% 440 1.81% 88.20% 8,353 6,505 8,793 647 – – – 24,298
Duplessis Lib Lib 7,839 45.86% 2,227 13.03% 80.70% 7,839 5,612 3,310 331 – – – 17,092
Fabre Lib Lib 20,158 41.71% 91 0.19% 87.17% 20,158 20,067 6,213 1,613 92 182 – 48,325
Frontenac UN RC 5,204 38.74% 483 3.60% 84.13% 2,604 840 4,721 5,204 65 – – 13,434
Gaspé-Nord UN UN 4,786 41.60% 194 1.69% 88.52% 4,592 1,990 4,786 136 – – – 11,504
Gaspé-Sud Lib Lib 8,455 49.96% 3,370 19.91% 84.06% 8,455 3,062 5,085 322 – – – 16,924
Gatineau Lib Lib 19,007 62.37% 13,886 45.56% 82.58% 19,007 3,360 5,121 2,989 – – – 30,477
Gouin Lib PQ 14,070 40.87% 12 0.03% 78.87% 14,058 14,070 5,053 1,242 – – – 34,423
Hull Lib Lib 14,478 56.97% 10,664 41.96% 75.63% 14,478 3,814 3,647 3,252 221 – – 25,412
Huntingdon Lib Lib 4,170 55.44% 1,742 23.16% 80.39% 4,170 611 2,428 312 – – – 7,521
Iberville UN UN 4,110 40.17% 768 7.51% 90.07% 3,342 2,036 4,110 743 – – – 10,231
Îles-de-la-Madeleine Lib Lib 3,560 56.68% 1,275 20.30% 89.57% 3,560 366 2,285 70 – – – 6,281
Jacques-Cartier Lib Lib 25,743 67.16% 19,427 50.68% 84.72% 25,743 6,316 3,027 922 2,322 – – 38,330
Jean-Talon Lib Lib 12,565 41.63% 6,068 20.10% 82.07% 12,565 6,497 6,381 4,625 114 – – 30,182
Jeanne-Mance Lib Lib 21,515 48.48% 4,649 10.48% 83.81% 21,515 16,866 4,797 1,197 – – – 44,375
Joliette UN Lib 10,929 40.32% 3,235 11.93% 88.66% 10,929 7,376 7,694 1,107 – – – 27,106
Jonquière Lib Lib 15,010 49.49% 3,656 12.05% 88.64% 15,010 11,354 3,108 856 – – – 30,328
Kamouraska UN Lib 4,889 37.73% 1,136 8.77% 80.89% 4,889 762 3,555 3,753 – – – 12,959
L'Assomption UN Lib 10,754 38.30% 1,382 4.92% 87.16% 10,754 9,372 7,955 – – – – 28,081
L'Islet UN Lib 4,000 35.99% 292 2.63% 82.20% 4,000 506 3,708 2,899 – – – 11,113
Labelle UN UN 6,263 46.41% 3,341 24.76% 84.83% 2,922 2,724 6,263 1,585 – – – 13,494
Lac-Saint-Jean UN Lib 9,339 39.76% 1,466 6.24% 89.23% 9,339 7,873 5,515 761 – – – 23,488
LaFontaine UN PQ 18,113 40.69% 2,611 5.87% 83.96% 15,502 18,113 8,948 1,731 89 128 – 44,511
Laurier Lib Lib 17,934 50.20% 4,331 12.12% 83.25% 17,934 13,603 3,073 1,113 – – – 35,723
Laval Lib Lib 27,262 57.64% 14,086 29.78% 84.28% 27,262 13,176 5,353 1,507 – – – 47,298
Laviolette UN Lib 6,974 28.57% 297 1.22% 85.20% 6,974 5,365 5,390 6,677 – – – 24,406
Lévis UN RC 10,268 31.14% 209 0.63% 87.54% 10,059 4,470 8,179 10,268 – – – 32,976
Limoilou UN Lib 12,582 32.78% 2,807 7.31% 84.07% 12,582 7,381 9,775 8,650 – – – 38,388
Lotbinière UN RC 4,823 35.83% 369 2.74% 87.19% 4,454 504 3,678 4,823 – – – 13,459
Louis-Hébert Lib Lib 25,026 54.09% 13,471 29.12% 87.49% 25,026 11,555 6,949 2,738 – – – 46,268
Maisonneuve UN PQ 16,012 45.16% 4,605 12.99% 77.18% 11,407 16,012 6,007 1,777 – 252 – 35,455
Marguerite-Bourgeoys Lib Lib 28,694 68.85% 20,787 49.88% 84.41% 28,694 7,907 3,584 850 262 378 – 41,675
Maskinongé UN UN 5,113 43.06% 1,299 10.94% 90.46% 3,814 757 5,113 2,190 – – – 11,874
Matane Lib Lib 8,800 41.67% 2,922 13.84% 84.93% 8,800 5,878 5,338 1,103 – – – 21,119
Matapédia Lib Lib 4,319 32.69% 514 3.89% 84.84% 4,319 3,805 2,564 871 1,655 – – 13,214
Mégantic UN RC 8,201 28.79% 501 1.76% 88.09% 6,954 5,626 7,700 8,201 – – – 28,481
Mercier Lib Lib 15,337 46.65% 3,061 9.31% 79.82% 15,337 12,276 4,145 1,011 106 – – 32,875
Missisquoi UN UN 6,789 40.22% 543 3.22% 84.60% 6,246 2,042 6,789 1,804 – – – 16,881
Montcalm UN UN 4,950 45.27% 338 3.09% 86.66% 4,612 1,372 4,950 – – – – 10,934
Montmagny UN UN 5,596 42.54% 1,932 14.69% 82.25% 3,664 634 5,596 3,261 – – – 13,155
Montmorency UN Lib 9,714 32.65% 41 0.14% 87.35% 9,714 3,729 6,337 9,673 300 – – 29,753
Napierville-Laprairie Lib Lib 14,408 48.71% 7,394 25.00% 80.74% 14,408 7,014 6,739 1,194 225 – – 29,580
Nicolet UN UN 7,380 45.53% 1,819 11.22% 88.21% 5,561 1,764 7,380 1,505 – – – 16,210
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Lib Lib 31,930 87.26% 29,147 79.65% 84.04% 31,930 2,783 680 357 – 843 – 36,593
Olier Lib Lib 22,649 50.38% 5,958 13.25% 81.52% 22,649 16,691 3,994 1,624 – – – 44,958
Outremont Lib Lib 25,955 74.21% 18,660 53.35% 86.42% 25,955 7,295 1,419 – – 307 – 34,976
Papineau UN Lib 12,651 43.23% 3,648 12.47% 84.92% 12,651 2,634 9,003 4,974 – – – 29,262
Pontiac UN Lib 5,152 53.46% 1,162 12.06% 81.00% 5,152 253 3,990 242 – – – 9,637
Portneuf UN RC 11,086 38.14% 3,105 10.68% 83.82% 7,981 3,681 6,315 11,086 – – – 29,063
Richelieu UN Lib 12,047 42.01% 2,228 7.77% 89.02% 12,047 5,866 9,819 947 – – – 28,679
Richmond Lib RC 7,485 36.02% 1,137 5.47% 86.70% 6,348 3,655 3,290 7,485 – – – 20,778
Rimouski Lib Lib 9,987 35.89% 1,560 5.61% 85.67% 9,987 8,427 5,247 4,168 – – – 27,829
Rivière-du-Loup UN Lib 8,586 41.40% 1,001 4.83% 86.03% 8,586 2,008 7,585 2,558 – – – 20,737
Robert-Baldwin Ind Lib 46,169 87.46% 41,316 78.26% 86.86% 46,169 4,853 1,769 – – – – 52,791
Roberval UN Lib 9,845 37.85% 2,609 10.03% 84.64% 9,845 5,977 7,236 2,956 – – – 26,014
Rouville UN Lib 6,564 40.90% 309 1.93% 88.93% 6,564 2,327 6,255 904 – – – 16,050
Rouyn-Noranda UN RC 9,573 51.91% 5,560 30.15% 88.37% 4,013 2,756 2,101 9,573 – – – 18,443
Saguenay Lib PQ 12,392 44.77% 2,248 8.12% 82.19% 10,144 12,392 4,007 1,138 – – – 27,681
Saint-Henri UN Lib 14,096 46.88% 2,701 8.98% 79.28% 14,096 11,395 4,036 – 244 295 – 30,066
Saint-Hyacinthe UN Lib 10,628 38.24% 2,044 7.36% 86.53% 10,628 5,696 8,584 2,801 81 – – 27,790
Saint-Jacques UN PQ 8,554 39.01% 1,490 6.80% 71.16% 7,064 8,554 5,377 848 84 – – 21,927
Saint-Jean UN Lib 8,993 38.55% 2,172 9.31% 89.43% 8,993 6,821 6,605 909 – – – 23,328
Saint-Laurent Lib Lib 33,109 72.03% 23,650 51.45% 84.81% 33,109 9,459 2,917 – – 483 – 45,968
Saint-Louis Lib Lib 12,303 64.71% 7,708 40.54% 70.20% 12,303 4,595 1,526 – – 376 213 19,013
Saint-Maurice UN UN 11,921 36.93% 4,045 12.53% 85.86% 7,857 7,876 11,921 4,625 – – – 32,279
Saint-Sauveur UN RC 9,217 31.22% 532 1.80% 82.07% 8,685 4,912 6,712 9,217 – – – 29,526
Saint-Anne Ind Lib 8,914 48.00% 4,039 21.75% 70.02% 8,914 3,809 804 – 5,045 – – 18,572
Sainte-Marie UN PQ 10,707 42.57% 2,513 9.99% 73.11% 8,194 10,707 5,165 1,088 – – – 25,154
Shefford UN UN 10,480 33.21% 1,636 5.18% 87.00% 8,844 4,113 10,480 8,124 – – – 31,561
Sherbrooke UN Lib 17,319 34.26% 5,603 11.08% 84.25% 17,319 10,783 10,421 11,716 – 307 – 50,546
Stanstead Lib Lib 8,897 49.10% 3,973 21.92% 84.04% 8,897 2,000 2,300 4,924 – – – 18,121
Taillon Lib Lib 16,501 42.63% 5,363 13.86% 80.56% 16,501 11,138 4,997 2,826 247 – 2,998 38,707
Témiscamingue Lib Lib 3,747 43.88% 902 10.56% 84.17% 3,747 499 1,448 2,845 – – – 8,539
Témiscouata UN UN 3,929 35.51% 573 5.18% 84.68% 3,356 877 3,929 2,901 – – – 11,063
Terrebonne UN Lib 30,452 45.54% 12,467 18.64% 85.42% 30,452 17,985 13,406 5,028 – – – 66,871
Trois-Rivières UN Lib 12,899 39.84% 4,193 12.95% 81.15% 12,899 6,995 8,706 3,778 – – – 32,378
Vaudreuil-Soulanges Lib Lib 11,841 50.12% 5,452 23.08% 84.88% 11,841 4,183 6,389 1,158 – – 53 23,624
Verchères Lib Lib 14,822 53.23% 6,796 24.41% 86.65% 14,822 8,026 3,995 1,001 – – – 27,844
Verdun Lib Lib 23,630 59.85% 14,332 36.30% 83.53% 23,630 9,298 4,129 1,117 1,121 186 – 39,481
Westmount Lib Lib 32,703 85.30% 29,056 75.78% 80.47% 32,703 3,647 1,126 336 – 529 – 38,341
Wolfe UN UN 3,712 44.40% 1,630 19.50% 88.76% 2,082 706 3,712 1,860 – – – 8,360
Yamaska UN Lib 3,826 46.88% 487 5.97% 86.90% 3,826 558 3,339 438 – – – 8,161
  1. including spoilt ballots
  2. Frank Hanley (4,875 votes) was the incumbent
  = open seat
  = turnout is above provincial average
  = winning candidate was in previous Legislature
  = incumbent had switched allegiance
  = previously incumbent in another riding
  = not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature
  = incumbency arose from byelection gain
  = other incumbents renominated
  = previously an MP in the House of Commons of Canada
  = multiple candidates

Analysis

Elections to the National Assembly of Quebec – seats won/lost by party, 1966-1970
Party 1966 Gain from (loss to) 1970
Lib UN RC PQ Ind
Liberal 50 25 (3) (2) 2 72
Union Nationale 56 (25) (9) (5) 17
Ralliement créditiste – 3 9 12
Parti Québécois – 2 5 7
Independent 2 (2) –
Total 108 5 (27) 39 – – (12) – (7) 2 – 108


Party candidates in 2nd place
Party in 1st place Party in 2nd place Total
Lib UN RC PQ Ind
Liberal 24 10 37 1 72
Union Nationale 16 1 17
Ralliement créditiste 9 3 12
Parti Québécois 7 7
Total 32 27 10 38 1 108
Candidates ranked 1st to 5th place, by party
Parties 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
█ Liberal 72 32 4
█ Union Nationale 17 27 56 8
█ Ralliement créditiste 12 10 14 58 5
█ Parti Québécois 7 38 33 30
█ Independent 1 2 14
█ New Democratic 1 5 6
█ Independent PQ 1
█ Independent Créditiste 1
█ Communist 1
█ Socialist Workers 1
Resulting composition of the 28th Quebec Legislative Assembly
Source Party
Lib UN RC PQ Total
Seats retained Incumbents returned 34 17 51
Open seats held 8 8
Ouster of incumbent changing allegiance 1 1
Byelection loss reversed 1 1
Seats changing hands Incumbents defeated 24 7 7 38
Open seats gained 3 5 8
Incumbent changing allegiance 1
Total 72 17 12 7 108

See also

Further reading

External links

Quebec Elections and referendums in Quebec
General elections
Municipal elections
Referendums
See also: List of Quebec by-elections
  1. ^ Drouilly, Pierre (November 7, 2017). "Élections québécoises de 1970". donneesquebec.ca. Atlas des élections au Québec.
  2. ^ "Les membres de l'Assemblée nationale par circonscription" [National Assembly members by riding] (in French). National Assembly of Quebec. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
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