New Democratic Party of Quebec

Origins: 1963-1991

For the history of the original NDPQ see Parti de la Democratie Socialiste

First logo the revived NDPQ

The original New Democratic Party of Quebec emerged from the Parti social démocratique du Québec, the Quebec section of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, and aside from temporarily holding a single seat in the National Assembly (David Côté) it only played a minor role in Quebec provincial politics. During the late 1980s it came under the leadership of radical sovereigntists, prompting a rupture from the federal NDP. It voted to disaffiliate from the federal party in 1989 and changed its name to the Parti de la democratie socialiste (PDS) in 1994. The PDS would later become a founding member of Quebec Solidaire, a left-wing provincial party with a sovereigntist platform.

Second iteration

For the following two decades, the NDP remained moribund in Quebec; indeed, it was the only province where the NDP was not fully organized. Unlike other national parties in Canada, the NDP is fully integrated with its provincial and territorial branches.

During the 2006 convention of the federal NDP, held in Quebec City, the idea of recreating the provincial NPDQ was brought up. However, the idea failed to win support at the New Democratic Party-Quebec Section's convention in November 2006 in Saint-Jérôme. However, gains by the federal party, at first modest with the 2007 by-election in which Tom Mulcair gained the House of Commons seat in Outremont and then dramatic "Orange Surge" of the 2011 Canadian federal election led to renewed calls for a provincial NDP in Quebec as an alternative to the federalist Quebec Liberal Party and the sovereigntist Parti Quebecois.

Raphaël Fortin, NPDQ Leader during the 2018 Provincial Election, on an election sign in downtown Montreal in August, 2018.

Following the 2011 federal election, during which the NDP achieved a historic breakthrough in Quebec, federal NDP leader and former Quebec cabinet minister Thomas Mulcair announced the party intended to run candidates in time for the next general election, then scheduled for 2016.^[4] Federal NDP riding associations in Quebec asked their executive members to step down from their positions if they intended to run as candidates in the September 4, 2012 Quebec provincial election.

On 30 January 2014 the Directeur général des élections du Québec registered the New Democratic Party of Quebec as a provincial political party.^[5] Former federal NDP leadership candidate and federal and Gatineau municipal election candidate Pierre Ducasse was listed as the party leader.^[6]

In 2017, the current iteration of the NDPQ stood a candidate for office for the first time by running former MP Denis Blanchette as its candidate in a by-election held on October 2 in Louis-Hébert. This was the first time an NDPQ candidate stood for election in a provincial riding since the 1994 provincial election and the first time the NDPQ stood against a candidate from the left-wing Quebec Solidaire party. Blanchette placed seventh with 1.35% of the vote.^[7]

Interim leader Pierre Ducasse had announced he would not be a candidate in the party's 2018 leadership election. The campaign period began on 1 September 2017 and the nomination deadline for leadership candidates was 20 October 2017.^[8] On 21 January 2018, the party leadership contest elected Raphaël Fortin was chosen leader.^[9]

2018 Campaign: Re-establishing the party

For the 2018 provincial election, the NPDQ sought to re-establish a presence in the province by running a small campaign that focused on Fortin as leader. Able to run 59 candidates across the province, the party aimed to influence the discussion and gain attention for a party that had not been present in the province for over two decades. Fortin, speaking with media, said that he had instructed his candidates to not, “look at the final results; look at your campaign and how many people you reach.”^[10]

During the campaign, the NPDQ maintained similar policies to those of Quebec Solidaire, such as supporting a Guaranteed Minimum Income and universal daycare and post-secondary, though asserted it was a staunchly federalist party.^[11]

Federal New Democratic leader Jagmeet Singh opted to not endorse the provincial party during the campaign.^[11]