'The Three Periods' is a
Quebec sovereigntist strategy. Before the
1993 federal election in
Canada,
Parti Québécois (PQ) leader
Jacques Parizeau evoked a strategy for attainment of
Quebec independence called the Three Periods. The strategy is partly inspired by the three periods of play in
ice hockey (the most popular sport in Quebec). It is seen as a typical Parizeau concept: dedicated and straightforward, especially compared to some sovereignist attitudes like a few (not all) of
René Lévesque's (specifically in the last years of his government) or to the ''étapisme'' or "step-by-step" strategy.
The Three Periods Strategy
First period
★ 'The election of a great number of candidates from the recently founded
Bloc Québécois in Ottawa for
1993 federal election.'
★
★ ''It was achieved: the Bloc sent 54
Member of Parliament (MPs) to the
Canadian House of Commons and became the
Official Opposition. Parizeau and the PQ publicly supported the Bloc's campaign.''
Second period
★ 'The election of a
Parti Québécois government in
Quebec City for the
1994 Quebec election.'
★
★ ''It was achieved: 77 PQ
Members of the National Assembly (MNAa) were elected to the
National Assembly of Quebec, won a
majority government and received a plurality (although slimmer than expected) in
popular vote.''
Third period
★ 'The calling and victory of a
second referendum on sovereignty for
Quebec.'
★
★ ''It was partly achieved, but not entirely. The referendum was indeed called in
1995 (although strictly speaking none of the referendums in Quebec have been about sovereignty only). After some polls suggesting a repeat of the
1980 referendum score of about 40%, the
result was of 49.42%, a near-victory but nonetheless spelling defeat. Some would call it a
moral victory while other would focus on the defeat. This great rise of support for the cause over 15 years and the razor-thin difference of percentage inscribed a gain in the stone of history forever but, also, a second lost referendum seemed harder to take and it has seen the subsequent second
Post-Referendum Syndrome demoralization occur with
separatist Quebecers for the next few years.''
Resurgence
After the plummeting popularity of the newly elected federalist Quebec government in
2003-
2004, the
sponsorship scandal, the Bloc's renewed popularity for the
2004 federal elections and the rise in support for sovereignty (49% in
April 2004), some evoked the return of a new three part plan.
Pauline Marois even wrote an article for the ''
Saison des idées'' in
2004 in favour of establishing a
four period plan.
See also
★
Sovereigntist events and strategies
★
Politics of Quebec
★
History of Quebec
★
Timeline of Quebec history
★
List of Quebec general elections
★
History of the Quebec sovereignist movement
External links
★
Parti Québécois website
★
Bloc Québécois website