‘Stolen’ 1995 referendum still a sore spot for Quebec sovereigntists — young and old

QUEBEC CITY — Gaël Bouchard, 25, was waiting patiently in the pouring rain for Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon to add his signature to an already signed copy of René Lévesque’s autobiography he found in a used book store.

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“You are surely the one who will take Quebec to where it needs to be,” Bouchard told St-Pierre Plamondon as he handed him his book, carefully wrapped in a plastic bag.

As beads of rain made their way onto the pages, the PQ leader apposed his signature in blue pen, nearly 40 years after Lévesque signed with a Sharpie in December 1986.

Bouchard was not born when the two previous referendums took place in 1980 and 1995. But like many sovereigntists much older than him, he alleges that the federal government “stole” the 1995 vote with a razor-thin majority for the “No” side.

“It was a pivotal moment in history. Then it was stolen from us through manipulation and interference,” said the young man.

From Ottawa? “Let’s not be afraid of words.”

Bouchard is not an isolated case. Outside a retro diner in Plessisville, where St-Pierre Plamondon was busy shaking hands, one white-haired lady who has been voting for the PQ since its foundation still bears resentment about the result of the vote in 1995.

“They stole it from us,” she said, refusing to share her name.

She was especially frustrated with the Unity Rally in downtown Montreal that saw thousands of Canadians from other provinces travel to Quebec at a fraction of the regular rates to declare their love to Quebecers in the final week of the campaign.

The move sparked outrage from the “Yes” camp which saw the discounted flight, train and bus tickets as undeclared campaign expenses from the federalist side.

The issue of the “stolen” referendum came up once more during an interview at QUB radio where St-Pierre Plamondon was answering callers’ questions.

A woman named Marcelle noted that Jean Chrétien’s federal Liberal government had given instructions to speed up immigration applications in the year before the 1995 referendum to give a chance to new Canadians to exercise their right to vote.

Sergio Marchi, who was federal immigration minister at the time, revealed to Le Journal de Montréal last year that Chrétien instructed him to do that in his department and that it had made a difference for the pro-Canada vote.

“In your mind, was the referendum in 1995 stolen? That’s what you feel?” the host of the show, Mario Dumont, asked Marcelle. “Yes,” she confidently said.

St-Pierre Plamondon jumped on the opportunity to announce that if he forms government, he will get to the bottom of the issue of the “stolen” 1995 referendum.

More specifically, he intends to release the documentation that led to a report led by Judge Bernard Grenier in 2007 which detailed irregularities from the “No” camp totalling approximately $500,000. He was also unable to quantify other illegal expenditures.

The documents have remained under seal to this day because of confidentiality agreements with witnesses and because they contain sensitive information.

“We will protect personal information,” the PQ leader told the caller. “But regarding the content — using the tools available to us at the National Assembly — there are ways to extract it while still ensuring protection (of sources.) We are committed to doing that.”

National Post asked St-Pierre Plamondon if he thinks the result of the 1995 referendum was robbed from Quebecers. He did not give a clear answer.

“I think we’ll know pretty soon,” he said. “We know there were maneuvers… We know a few things that are very alarming in terms of the integrity of that democratic process.”

“And so, my undertaking, my will is to disclose that information while protecting the identity of individuals, that we get to know through a process what actually happened. I think it’s a matter of knowing the truth and protecting our democracy,” he added.

Bouchard, the young man who had his book signed by the PQ leader, said he is looking forward to having those answers.

“As long as we don’t have it in black and white — stating ‘it was stolen from us’ — we will always be debating the question: was it, or wasn’t it?” he asked.

“But fundamentally, a democratic process was stolen from us, and we are still paying the price — to the point where we have to start all over again thirty years later.”

St-Pierre Plamondon is promising to hold a third referendum only after U.S. President Donald Trump has left office, meaning it would take place in 2029 or 2030.

Whether it happens or not, Bouchard said the separatist movement in Quebec won’t die and that many young people like him intend to keep this idea alive and well.

“It’s a cycle that will never end,” the 25-year-old said. “If young people aren’t able to bring this project to life, in twenty or thirty years, our children will be stuck with the same dilemma: having to start it all over again.”

National Post
calevesque@postmedia.com

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