About
René Lévesque (1922-1987) was a journalist and Quebec politician. A war correspondent during World War II, he became a prominent figure on Radio-Canada television. Elected as a Liberal member in 1960, he served as Minister of Natural Resources and nationalized electricity into Hydro-Québec. In 1968, he founded the Parti Québécois, advocating for Quebec sovereignty. Premier from 1976 to 1985, he enacted the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101) and held the 1980 referendum on sovereignty-association, which was defeated 60% to 40%. He resigned in 1985.
* 1922-08-24 — † 1987-11-01
Major works
- Option Québec (1968)political essay
- La passion du Québec (1978)political essay
- Attendez que je me rappelle... (1986)memoir
Key milestones
- 1960Elected as a Liberal member of the National Assembly of Quebec.
- 1976Becomes Premier of Quebec after the Parti Québécois victory.
- 1980Holds the referendum on sovereignty-association, rejected by 60%.
Themes
Quebec sovereigntyFrench languageNationalization of resourcesQuiet RevolutionCivil rights
Sources: thecanadianencyclopedia.ca · britannica.com · assnat.qc.ca