On This Day in Canada’s Political History: Quebec Referendum held

Few who were alive at the time have forgotten where they were on this night in 1980. It was, of course, voting day in Quebec’s first (the second was in 1995) referendum on sovereignty association. The “No” side, led by then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Jean Chrétien and Quebec Liberal leader Claude Ryan, carried the day with 60 per cent of the votes. The “Yes” side was led by René Lévesque and received 40 per cent voter support. Canada had lived to fight on another day. A commanding 86 per cent of eligible Quebecers turned out to cast their ballots. caption id="attachment_560404" align="aligncenter" width="440" Claude Ryan/caption caption id="attachment_560405" align="aligncenter" width="440" Rene Levesque/caption Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist.  He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy.  A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.



Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.