TheParti bleu(French for "Blue Party" ) was a political group that contested elections in theEastern sectionof theProvince of Canada.[1]The Blue Party was ideologically located on thepolitical right,and was defined by its support for the Catholic Church, and later for supporting confederation.[2]
Parti bleu | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1854 |
| Dissolved | 1867 |
| Preceded by | Reform Movement (Upper Canada) |
| Succeeded by | Conservative Party of Quebec,Liberal-Conservative Party |
| Headquarters | Montreal,Canada East |
| Ideology | Conservatism Ultramontanism[citation needed] Quebec nationalism |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Colours | Blue |
The party was formed in 1854 by conservative members of the formerReform movement,following in the tradition ofLouis-Hippolyte LafontaineandFrancis Hincks.[2]The first leader of the Blue Party,George-Étienne Cartier,was thePremier of Canada East.The Parti bleu held majorities in Canada East uninterrupted from 1854 to 1867, and often formed coalition governments with the English-speaking Conservatives from Canada East, and theLiberal-Conservative Partyfrom Canada West. Their main electoral challenge came from theParti rouge,a secularist left-wing party.[3]Afterconfederationin 1867, the party was dissolved, and members became part of theConservative Party of Quebecat the provincial level, and theConservative Party of Canadafederally.
History
editThe Reform Party was a broad movement, organized around achievingresponsible governmentin the Province of Canada. Because responsible government was required to enact any form of self-government, it was supported by both liberals and conservatives who could not achieve their own policy aims without it.[2]The Reform Party was thus able to draw in members from across the ideological spectrum. After 1848, when responsible government was introduced by theImperial Government,the unifying policy of the movement had been achieved and the movement began to break down. By 1853, the government was unable to secure majorities on core legislation. By the time of election in 1854, the party had broken down into factions based on their ideological positions.[2][4]The French-Canadian conservatives initially called themselves Ministerialists, in recognition of their support of the government and opposition of the Rouges and Liberals. By 1856, the Ministerialist faction had changed their name to Bleu.[2]
The Ministerialists experienced electoral success in theCanadian general election, 1854.They won 35 seats in Canada East, forming the largest group out of the Eastern members.[2]Their strong electoral performance allowed them to form acoalition governmentwith the Canada West Conservatives led byAllan MacNab.SirÉtienne-Paschal Tachéwas the first leader of the Ministerialist group, but was replaced by George-Étienne Cartier as the Blue Party was formed. The coalition between the Canada West Conservatives and Blue Party began the Liberal-Conservative tradition of government in the province.
After the 1858 election, the Blue Party and Eastern-Canadian Conservatives became the largest group in the Legislative Assembly, and formed a coalition government with the Canada West Conservatives as the larger partner. Canada West had returned a majority of Liberal members, but the large majority commanded by the Blue Party and Conservatives in Canada East prevented the Liberals from taking power.[2]The number of factions in the legislature made it difficult to secure majorities on government legislation, forcing the Blue-Conservative coalition out for a four-day period in 1858 after losing anon-confidence vote.[4]However, the new Liberal-Rouge government was unable to secure a majority in the Legislative Assembly, and the Blue Party reformed a ministry with the Conservatives.
Ideology
editThe Blue Party was ideologically moderate, established from the former reformers in Canada East. The party supportedConfederation,the role of theCatholic Churchin Canadian society, and the dismantling of theseigneurial system.[5]The Blue Party was opposed to the anti-clerical and republican positions of theParti rouge.
Leaders
edit| Picture | Name | Term start | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
SirÉtienne-Paschal Taché | 27 January 1855 | 26 November 1857 | Used the "Ministerialist" party label during first term |
|
SirGeorge-Étienne Cartier | 26 November 1857 | 24 May 1864 | First leader using the "Bleu" party label |
|
|
Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché | 30 May 1864 | 30 July 1865 | Senior statesman to lead theGreat Coalitiongovernment; died in office |
|
SirNarcisse-Fortunat Belleau | 30 July 1865 | 30 June 1867 | AppointedLieutenant Governor of Quebecafter Confederation |
Timeline
edit
References
edit- ^Riendeau, Roger (2007).A Brief History of Canada.Infobase Publishing. pp. 167–168.ISBN9781438108223.Retrieved9 October2017.
- ^abcdefgCornell, Paul (1962).The Alignment of Political Groups in Canada, 1841-1867.Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
- ^Abulof, Urie (Jul 24, 2015).The Mortality and Morality of Nations: Jews, Afrikaners, and French-Canadians.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 90–91.ISBN9781107097070.Retrieved9 October2017.
- ^abCareless, JMS (1967).The Union of the Canadas.Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Ltd.
- ^Morton, W (1964).The Critical Years: The Union of British North America 1857-1873.Toronto: McClelland and Steward Limited. pp.10–12.