Parti de la Democratie Socialiste
The Parti de la démocratie socialiste (PDS; English: Party of Socialist Democracy) was a political party in Quebec, Canada.
The PDS' roots can be traced to 1939, with the founding of the Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif (FCC), later renamed Parti social démocratique du Québec (PSD; Social Democratic Party) in 1955. The FCC/PSD was the Quebec counterpart of Canada's federal Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) party.
After the CCF became the New Democratic Party in 1961, the Quebec wing was re-founded as the New Democratic Party of Quebec (Nouveau Parti démocratique du Québec, NPDQ). The NPDQ contested Quebec general elections in 1970, 1976, 1985, 1989 and 1994. The NPDQ was separated from the federalist NDP in 1989. A new branch of the federal NDP, called New Democratic Party of Canada - Québec Section[1] was refounded in 1990, and is active only in federal politics.
The NPDQ's ties to the federal NDP were finally severed in 1991 as a result of the provincial party's endorsement of the Bloc Québécois in a 1990 by-election.[2] It was encouraged to change its name and became the "Parti de la démocratie socialiste" in 1995, and as such contested the 1998 Quebec election.
In 2002, the PDS became a part of the left-wing coalition Union des forces progressistes (UFP; Union of Progressive Forces), together with the Rassemblement pour l'alternative progressiste (RAP; Union for a Progressive Alternative) and the Communist Party of Quebec. As a consequence, the PDS withdrew its official party registration with the chief electoral officer and participated under the UFP banner in the Quebec general election of 2003. In 2006 the UFP merged with Option citoyenne to form Québec solidaire. It remains an organized tendency within the new coalition under the name "Québec socialiste".
Leaders of the PDS
- Jocelyne Dupuis (1994-1996)
- Paul Rose (former militant of the Front de libération du Québec) (1996-2002)
Election results
| General election | # of candidates | # of elected candidates | % of popular vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 (NPDQ) | 13 | 0 | 0.15% |
| 1973 (NPDQ) | The party did not run candidates in this election. | ||
| 1976 (coal.†) | 21 | 0 | 0.05% |
| 1981 (NPDQ) | The party did not run candidates in this election. | ||
| 1985 (NPDQ) | 90 | 0 | 2.42% |
| 1989 (NPDQ) | 55 | 0 | 1.22% |
| 1994 (NPDQ) | 41 | 0 | 0.85% |
| 1998 (PDS) | 97 | 0 | 0.59% |
†coalition Nouveau Parti démocratique du Québec/Regroupement des militants syndicaux
References
- ↑ http://www.npd.qc.ca/en/documents
- ↑ York, Geoffrey, "NDP breaks link to Quebec wing Alignment with Bloc Quebecois brings split with federal party," Globe and Mail, March 12, 1991
See also
- Politics of Quebec
- List of Quebec general elections
- List of Quebec premiers
- List of Quebec leaders of the Opposition
- National Assembly of Quebec
- Timeline of Quebec history
- Political parties in Quebec
